The Ballad of Marhna'Prince
by DarkDanny
Summary: Connection Series: With John and Tali's relationship in turmoil. Kasumi Goto takes it upon herself to introduce Tali to an old friend who abandoned the Migrant Fleet in favor for freedom offered by an ambitious human. other pairings: Human/Quarian, Human/Female Turian
1. Meet Marhna

**Chapter One: Meet Marhna**

**...**

Kasumi Goto's room had become her unofficial sanctuary during her downtime, from the rest of the crew, and more importantly, that jackass bosh'tet and heartbreaker, John Shepard. One moment he was sweet, gentle spoken, the next he could turn into a real jerk. She was by no means a pushover; by it could still make a girl upset.

They were barely into their relationship's forth week and, despite the promise of John's and her own commitment into making what they shared together work, it just seemed to hit more and more walls. Some were her own fault, others were John's, but together, they just piled on. Humans were difficult as they were as work companions or friends... but as boyfriends? Keelah... It became an even bigger issue...

The door to the room slid open. The woman on the couch looked up from through her protective visor and noticed a diminutive woman standing in the doorway, tapping her foot. Slowly, she smiled and stepped closer to the clearly angsting woman.

"Tali, you and I need a drink on the Citadel, I think." Kasumi Goto exclaimed, wrapping her arm around the quarian engineer's waist and giving the woman a playful shake.

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy looked over towards the bar in the far corner and then back at the human woman as if she had sprouted a new head.

"Kasumi, we drink every other night, thanks to you living in a bar." Tali reminded the thief disbelievingly "Do we seriously have to go out and drink on the Citadel?"

Kasumi let go of Tali and shrugged innocently.

"You will once I get to talking about the birds and the bees and why you shouldn't mess with a human male's head with all this arguing, they become more and more irrational."

_Birds and the... what?_ Tali squinted her eyes at her friend but decided it was best not to get into the human idioms she was being forced to learn a dozen times a day.

"John and I do not fight that much." Tali lied, crossing her arms. Kasumi laughed; rather, she barked a laugh as she stood up and wandered over towards her dresser in the corner.

"Tali, my precious, seriously you two fight over literally _everything_." She stated as she pulled down the zipper of her armor, revealing the pale skin of her back. "He teases you, you lose your temper he tries to get you to open up, and you clam up like a seven hundred year old asari virgin. You see him talk to another woman, and you turn into fire and brimstone, washing hell over the poor denizens of the Normandy."

She stepped out of her suit without an ounce of modesty and tugged open the drawers, pulling out a whole pile of out fits and throwing them haphazardly onto her bed. Tali turned her head away, determined not to check out just how much human female anatomy shared in common of quarian.

"You're sabotaging a relationship that was destined to be." Kasumi continued as she pulled simple black dress over her head and turned back to "a pilgrim rescued by the dashing commander. He cheats death with his last thoughts just for you..."

Kasumi sighed romantically at her own delusions as she sat back down next to the quarian engineer. Tali knew better than to think his last thoughts were about her at all. In all likelihood, John would be thinking about how little air he had left in his lungs on that fateful day.

"He hasn't really told me how he feels for me... I.. I mean his... intentions." The worried quarian admitted out loud. Goto stopped applying makeup and glanced to Tali, her eyes widened into a look of sweet sympathy. Tali merely imitated Kasumi and shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know if he loves me for real, or thinks of this like his relationship with Doctor T'Soni. I just.. I just get this... doubt he will stay loyal." She muttered, continuing her round of pity and fear for the future her and John had together, "Monogamy is the... absolute normal lifestyle for a quarian, the thought of John having multiple partners over the course of his life, even if it was only Liara... recently."

Tali paused and bit her lip, inhaling sharply as she collected herself.

"I mean, what if I'm just a... a ..."

Tali trailed off as she felt Kasumi's hands reach out and grabbed both of hers. She smiled and squeezed them both reassuringly.

"Listen, I'm not saying he's perfect in all of this and you're destroying what you have together all by yourself, sweetie." The human spoke to her friend, with a soothing whisper. "I don't think his daddy taught him not to tease women, nor how to treat them. But, I don't have his issues down yet. For now, let's work on you. Then him, okay drama queen?"

Tali blinked, ignored the barb and nodded her head. It would be good to get off the ship and stretched out her bones, if only for a while.

"First thing we do is go and meet up with an old friend of mine." Kasumi spoke again with more authority, as if predicting Tali's hesitation. She stood up from the couch, spilling her makeup to the floor as she dragged a poor engineer with her.

"A friend of yours?" Tali repeated uncertainly. She really did not want anything to do with Kasumi's networks of thieves and fences then she already was by being friends with her.

Kasumi merely let go of Tali's hands, pushed her hair out, forcing it to flow, and grinned brightly at the quarian.

"Well, she employed me during my early days of my... _profession_, when I was young and sloppy, gave me an alibi and everything." Kasumi explained to the quarian offhandedly "You will absolutely love her."

She paused and smirked.

"Did you know the reason I know how to tend this bar in my room is because of her?" Kasumi said, as she wrapped an arm around her best friend's shoulders and led her out of the room and towards the elevator.

Despite her mood being low at the thought of the man she loved despite the fights and the tension, she still sighed playfully and pushed her friend back. Perhaps meeting a friend of Kasumi Goto might not be as bad as she thought.

...

* * *

...

For the first time ever since her arrival on the Citadel when she was a pilgrim, she found herself utterly devoid of any excitement at being on the majestic space station. She was barely focused at all; she tried earnestly to pay attention to Kasumi's small talk, but was always drawn back to thoughts, doubts to be exact.

The fighting between them, it often stemmed from his willingness to accept Cerberus judgment so quickly. It was rather odd that he'd take such a position so opening and proudly despite his best friend being a turian and the woman he was with was a quarian, two races Cerberus probably hated above all else.

Before the... the Normandy SR-1's destruction, he seemed too stood up for all species. He however, never went gunning after Cerberus after the discovery of Corporal Toombs and the whole squad purposely wiped out by a Thresher Maw. John simply said he would not serve as a knight in an obsessed Admiral's game of chess.

It also did not help her troubles with the sudden wave of hormones hitting her, forcing her to remind her of the intimate moments shred between both her and John, the working of hands, the explosion of nerve fiber reactions, being at the mercy of a more experienced lover, every touch, kiss, word..

"_Taaali_..."

Tali broke her musings as the singsong voice Kasumi was speaking which broke through her self - pity and arousal, getting her attention. Her focus came back to her. Tali and her friend were standing in front of a vacant looking building called '_Solaria_.' It was a nightclub, so perhaps vacant wasn't the best best word. It looked as though the clubbers had only just left, leaving a mess in their wake.

"Hrm, Last time I was here, it was called the Altura.. must've finally changed the name." Kasumi mused stepping forward and pressing her hand on the door. Tali, however, stopped her. She wasn't about to enter a building clearly closed off to the general public. Kasumi rolled her eyes and smiled indulgently at the rule following Tali'Zorah.

"Tali, this isn't a heist. We wouldn't be here if we weren't invited, okay, Miss Morals?" She stated quite clearly for the woman in a purple suit and guilty bright eyes looking back and forth still quite worried. As Kasumi opened the door, Tali glared playfully at the jibe, but entered the nightclub first.

The lights were dimmed into an ambient rainbow, decorating the the the tasteful minimalistic decor. The room was crossed with quarian sensibility and human indulgence, the whole club was mostly a dance floor, getting the most out of the limited available space on a Citadel leased place. Everything that was present in the room, from the bar to the outlining private tables, The VIP section was hidden away, the expensive DJ setup... It was human decadence due to the sheer expensiveness it exuded.

Kasumi grabbed her hand and led her along slowly out of the hallway and towards towards the dance floor, passing by a salarian contracted cleaning crew attempting to clean a pile of vomit left behind by one of the patrons of the previous night. Tali shuddered briefly and ignored it as suddenly, a massive krogan blocked the way for Tali and Kasumi to proceed forward.

Tali was slightly nervous at the sight. Usually in the presence of a krogan, she had a shotgun. This time however, she had chosen to remain unarmed. Kasumi whoever, smiled brightly.

"Hello Garax." She bubbly greeted, waving her hand at the giant creature. The krogan known as Garax, merely stared at the two suspiciously before snorting and stepping out of the way for the two of them to continue.

"Runt." He simply stated, walking past her. Kasumi giggled slightly and sighed before turning back to Tali who was only now relaxing, even though he was almost out the way the two of them came in from.

"He's a big softy once you get to know him." Kasumi explained, stilling grinning to herself. Tali laughed sarcastically, she did not believe the charge made by Kasumi, not one bit.

The dance floor echoed the faint noise of a bass being melodically bounced through the sub woofers of the DJ table. It was a harsh, exotic piece; It certainly already caught on to Tali's growing taste in non quarian culture. From the backroom a relatively young asari emerged behind the bar counter, wearing a simple evening gown. She looked up and immediately, her lips were formed into a bright smile at the sight of the human who was approaching her.

"Hansa, David make it home?" Kasumi inquired, glancing around the club. She leaned over the counter and wrapped the quarian into a hug and a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Hello Kasumi." The asari known as Hansa returned, letting go of Kasumi and gesturing the two of them to take a seat. "And no, David is on Illium with Carthia, They're trying to get a club permit on Nos Astra... Why? Looking for a family reunion?"

Kasumi chuckled and shrugged coyly as she slumped into the barstool her hand still on Tali's as she forced the socially tense quarian to take a seat down as well.

"Of course I am... though it's nice to see the credits haven't run out."

"It's been tough times everywhere but the club world. People have money and a real need to forget these past few years." Hansa returned. She looked over to Tali and smiled. "Who's the babe?" She questioned, "New dancer, singer for us to employ? Or is she your _girlfriend_..."

"Funny, Han." Kasumi shot back, cutting off Tali's violently planned denial. Hansa giggled as she heard Tali choke on her words and sighed.

"Well, I'll get you Marhna after I get you two a strong drink. Okay?" The asari offered, her hands on her hips. Kasumi looked over to Tali and nodded. Drinking was most definitely on her mind at the moment.

"Regular for me, Sweetheart," She ordered as she blew her bangs from out of her eyes. "Marhna's Special for my friend here."

Hansa nodded her head and reached under the bar counter, pulling a bottle each of Vodka and tonic water up onto the counter. After pouring the drink and slipping a piece of citrus fruit into it, she reached under the counter and produced a premixed canister of what was simply referred to as "Marhna's special." It was a bright bluish purple drink, safely contained away from germs. Tali smiled graciously as she accepted it from tender blue hands.

"Bobbing your head, I see... Into human house music?" Hansa noted, smirking as she watched Tali tie the canister to the drink seal. Tali looked up. House music. She now had a name for this genre. Interesting. Slowly, she shrugged, attempting to remain somewhat indifferent.

"I haven't really listened to it before, I usually listen more to asari trance music." Tali admitted, taking a sip from the canister now hooked to her suit induction port. Hansa nodded at the mention of her races own music.

"Classic choice, babe." Hansa complimented brightly. She turned to Kasumi and added. "This girl's got good taste."

"I know," Kasumi returned, sounding quite impressed with herself. "Otherwise I wouldn't be friends with a grease monkey like her."

Tali scowled at her friends teasing. Hansa merely laughed as she backed her way out of the main room and back into the private area where Marhna apparently was. Despite the teasing, she was quite quite respectful with that this quarian managed to obtain. Wealth, respect from other species. She may not have agreed with everything, but this Marhna seized her own destiny in the face of overwhelming opposition from that fleet, and that by itself impressed her above all.

"So... Marhna is a quarian with an asari working under her?" Tali spoke up, breaking the silence between the two as they drunk their offered drinks.

"Kinda, she's not the bartender. She's more of a jack of all trades: Tends the bar, hosts, serves... dabblings in bouncer work... ex commando, you see..." Kasumi explained, leaning her arms against the counter, closing her eyes to take in the music. "As for Carthia, she's the Prince Enterprise lawyer. They've had to deal with a lot of shit being the kinda business partners they are. She's damn fun to hang out with, you'll see."

Tali said nothing as she silently sipped her drink. For the tenth time that day, Shepard was back on her thoughts...

"I know that sort of tension." A clear, wobbly voice whispered next to her, interupting her before she could fall to deep into her dispair.. "It means you have someone frustrating on your mind and you just can't quite figure him out."

Tali looked up and across and into the luminescent eyes of a quarian, unobstructed by an environmental suit. Her vivid eyes, right as any quarian's were surrounded by a faint series of wrinkles that did not detract from the beauty she exhibited. Her skin's tone was darker than Tali's, more vibrant and healthy complexion of extremely light purple rather than the sickly pale grey that John spent many hours touching and kissing so willingly.

She was wrapped in expensive looking asari robes with a long, vividly scarlett traditional quarian veil that was not over her black hair braids as intended, but drooped around her shoulders. She was exuding a wealth not seen by quarians in many many centuries.

"Marhna!" Kasumi squealed out, launching past Tali and into the waiting arms of the older woman. The quarian known as Marhna laughed brightly and pushed the frazzle of human hair covering Kasumi's eyes out of the way and gently kissed Kasumi's cheek.

"Mai, my first child." The quarian returned in between ecstatic kisses for Kasumi. "I am so glad you have managed to make it back to me into one piece."

Tali coughed slightly, and nudged Kasumi who fell out of her puesdo mother's arms and turned back to her friend, looking more brighter than Tali had ever seen her before..

_"Mai?"_Tali inquired from her friend, more than a little curious.

"Old alias," Kasumi explained right away before taking Tali' hand and leading her closer next to the unsuited quarian."Marhna'Prince," She introduced brightly. "This is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, the one I spoke to you about?"

Marhna'Prince merely smiled mysteriously towards the younger quarian, deep from within the shawl she wore, her hand reached out, revealing a gentle, feminine hand that was not hidden in a suit like Tali's. Tali shifted uncomfortably but took the alien gesture of welcome. As she looked into the gentle, mysterious smile, her tensions seemed to have dissolved.

"Tali'Zorah of the Normandy, the daughter of Rael'Zoreh, a pompous man but a good one," Marhna spoke up at last. She inclined her head respectfully, adding "I am sorry of his demise. It is hard to come by news from the flotilla."

Tali crossed her arm and as and slumped her weight onto her right hip. Before she could speak, Marhna held up her manicured hands.

"A young girl on her pilgrimage, whom I managed to find employment, offered me an update of the fleet, from the attack on the Idenna to your trials." She returned tactfully subdued as she noticed the shift in body language in the other girl. Slowly, her smile returned as she carefully added, "She did not tell me that you have found solace in the arms of your captain, however..."

Tali blinked.

"Something wrong with that?" Tali all but spat,she crossed her arms as her eyes narrowed at the second quarian woman.

Marhna and Kasumi shared a look. Before Tali knew it, both the women all but collapsed into a fit of giggles at Tali's defensiveness for what she shared with John. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, attempting not to eviscerate Kasumi where she stood.

"Miss Zorah..." Marhna spoke at last, over the last of her giggling laughter. "Prince is a human surname name, I hold it as my own with very good reason."

Tali blinked. She...She was bonded.. married to a human? When? She must have been a child when Marhna and this man pursued a relationship, and yet here she was, still bonded to a human. At the silent relation Marhna nodded and turned to Kasumi, who in turn, nodded as well and sat back down down on the barstool, sipping her drink. Marhna stepped away from the bar and gently, her hand reached out and guided the younger quarian away from her friend and towards the VIP section.

"Tali, come. Sit. I am sure you have much to fret over." Marhna observed in a manner not unlike her Auntie Raan.

Tali nodded blankly as dozens of questions became a temptation to ask. One thing did, however beat everything else. a curiosity never this obsessive before. She was sitting next to an exiled woman who had made a name and a reputation for herself, who found herself successfully in love with a man from the same species Tali was with.

"Are you a child of the exiled? You... You could return to the fleet with open arms. If only for a visit. I cannot imagine you'd give this all up." Tali spoke up rather lamely as she gestured to the club surrounding her.

Marhna merely smiled indulgently and leaned back into her seat and sighed softly.

"Do you believe they would accept one of their own back, who left the fleet on her own accord in order to find her own voice in this galaxy? Who married to someone outside their species without a second thought?" The older asari asked politely.

The expression written across Marhna's lips and narrowed eyes was one Tali knew well. She'd bare witness to it whenever John found himself in an argument where he needed to keep his temper in check. It was the expression of neutrality he'd get the moment Ambassador Udina would enter the room.

"Times have changed... people are more... accepting now." Tali returned, sipping her drink carefully and doing her best to believe in the words she had just murmured to the wealthy woman sitting across from her, just staring at her. Tali glanced up and noticed a faint motherly smile spread across her face, the look her mother had given her when she was a little girl.

"Times have changed you say?" Marhna spoke, attempting to hide a tone she would use on a foolish child. "Is that why all the anti-alien and anti homosexuality laws have been abandoned? Is that why you gleefully told your father and your friends of your attraction to Shepard after you returned to the fleet?"

Tali blinked at the query curiously. The very mention of her father and Shepard in the same sentence caused a momentary stupor in any sort of defense for the two men, one deceased, the other the love of her life. No. When her father was still alive, she became as unfeeling as the dead. There was no slip up, no admission to anyone close, not even Auntie Raan, who she believed would understand.

No. Tali kept her mouth shut and her mind focused on the next issue troubling the fleet.

"How about now, dear? This very moment?" Marhna continued. " With him holding your hand in front of your people, could you find the courage and simply announce that you made a choice between duty and love? A choice they will undoubtedly resent?"

Marhna looked downwards at her perfectly manicured nails as she allowed Tali a moment to let her words sink into the younger woman. Tali could not answer the older woman.

When her father was alive, she never dreamed of telling anyone just how much a human could have meant to her. She had to admit it, Marhna appeared to have a point. A small part of her still held the personal stigma of her... choice. somewhere in her was a guilt of having a man like Shepard.. the fleet needed genetic diversity. they would expect her to do her part..

Marhna reached over the table and with great care, her hand fell on to the side of Tali's facemask.

"The flotilla are a more selfish people than you nor I care to admit." She continued, unabashed at the accusation made. "They'll take and they'll take, but ask them for something, anything for yourself and they'll brand you a dissenter. They the worst sort of hypocites, the indignant kind."\

Tali sipped her drink, her head bowing in thought.

"So,You weren't exiled." She concluded. "No, I would have heard of this."

"No Tali, as I said eariler, I was not exiled. I quietly exiled myself." She explained, shaking her head sightly. "They made me choose between the fleet and my life, my happiness. I gave them an answer they never expected. I stood up for myself."

Marhna choose herself in the end. She choose everything that Tali was surrounded by. Wealth, the right to her own happiness, love of a man she never imagined she would have had she choose her duties over everything she had now. Despite that, and perhaps she was just looking too much into it but Tali could faintly detect a note of regret.. of longing in the very undercurrents of her proud words. She had to sacrifice much and she knew it.

The club owner looked away, her lost expression turned back towards Tali. Gently, she smiled for the engineer.  
**  
**

"Now... Tell me all about this John Shepard, Tali." She continued, changing the subject. "I have heard his deeds. I take it he's a bit hard to-"

Tali shook her head, her bright hidden eyes wider than usual.

"It can wait, you just can't stop now!" Tali all but complained in a sudden explosion of protest as she, leaned into her seat's comfortable support. "How come.."

"I came to abandon my fleet in exchange for money, for freedom and independence... for love and a future with a man I fell for?" Marhna finished for her, smiling slightly. Tali nodded her head slowly. Quarians, Tali included, always loved a tale to be told.

**...**

* * *

**...**

**Citadel Station: 2161 CE**

"You, quarian, your shift is over. Get out of here. I'm not paying for your overtime."

Marhna'Quaera nar Shareon looked up from the automatic dish washers hidden in the back of a very well reviewed restaurant known as _Xares' Place. _It was a quiet place for dextro's to gather, eat and converse about the growing human population that threatened their way of lives.

Dextro was just another word for turian, however, as quarians were unable to afford the place. Hell, the only real reason Marhna gained employment at this place was because the owner, a bosh'tet turian named Velarus could use her as tax write off, a charity case, and receive praise for being a "c_ulturally diverse kitchen._"

Culturally diverse, what a joke. The place was a breeding ground for anti everything not closely related to the turian's. And, since the Relay 314 incident seven years prior, humans had become the focus of their scorn, such like the batarian's before the humans became galactic players and the quarians before that.

Ha. _Relay 314 incident_, they refused to call it the First Contact War because of just how soundly the humans handed them their war mongering asses back to them. The fact that species with little galactic expansion could destroy a fleet and hand them back their prisoners in the most humiliating manner -In front of both the Council and the Hierarchy.

Marhna sighed as she tugged off her dish apron and dropped it on the counter haphazardly. Silently she turned off her translator and cursed out the turian under her breath. There was a sudden beep from her omni-tool. She glanced downwards at it, reading the name "Kalia." Reluctantly, she smiled as she opened the note up as she wandered out the front door of the restaurant.

_-Marhna_

_Hey there working girl, meet us at Fel'Vagars room in the shelter, we're bored and we wanna do something fun. Heard of a new place that opened, The Altura. Might just let us in if we're lucky! Could be a lot of fun!_

Fun.

She sighed. She would go with Kalia'Erranas and Fel'Vagars, But, no, it would not be for fun. What Marhna did want was to get drunk and forget everything for the next few days.

She had to admit, however, it was not all bad, while Velarus had incentives to hire her through personal gain, it was Xeuhana Carartus, Velarus' wife, who had hired her on the spot despite her being a quarian. It was Xeuhana, who lobbied for Marhna to be paid a halfway decent pay and given her weekends off. Xeu gave Marhna hope that perhaps some would treat her fairly on the pilgrimag-

"YOU! GET BACK HERE!"

Marhna froze, her eyes widened at the fear of the sheer rage in her employers voice. She swallowed the knot in her throat and turned back. What did she do now? She stopped working, signed out and left. That was it as far as she knew. That however, did not stop Velarnus' hand from grabbing her shoulder hard and dragging her back inside to answer for the crime she hadn't committed.

She found herself in the waiting area, pinned against the wall. The turian was enraged, enraged and disgusted at the sight of the quarian he loomed over.

"The electronic tipping service has been tampered with, the credits in it are all gone, one thousand, four hundred and fifty seven credits to be exact." He growled at her his teeth bared. "I know you have an omni-tool, bucket, I ought to shred you in two."

"I did not steal it!" She simply stated, crossing her arms and turning her eyes away from the ugly looking turian.

"The hell you didn't." He countered, wrapping his claws around the chin of her helmet and forcing her to look at him. "I give you, your job, a job I wanted give to my youngest son, I made sure you did not starve and allowed up here on the Presidium without C-sec watching your every move and this is how you repay me? You parasite!"

She thought she would get hit, or perhaps tossed around at the very least for this imaginary transgression she had made. There was, however, a protesting hiss and the feeling of something small pushing herself between Marhna and Velarus.

"By the spirits Velarus, let her go, you damn fool!" Xeuhana cried out, shoving her husband away from the quarian. Velarus looked lividly at his wife. She however was not frightened by the display of rage at all. It must have been a spouse thing, not to be frightened of overcompensating beasts.

"I deposited the tips into the employee year end bonus." She exclaimed, her eyes narrowed at the still rigid man. "She did not take anything, you stubbornly cranky old bastard!"

Velarus turned his glare away from his wife and over to Marhna's direction. Marhna stared back, as if daring the turian to make a move or even say anything remotely offensive. Instead the turian snorted in disgust and turned away from his employee and wife, leaving without saying another word.

Marhna and Xeu stood there, neither of them knowing what to say to the other at first. Slowly, Marhna turned her head down sharply as the adrenaline washed away and replaced her alert mind with one that was near tears. Unfortunately, she choked on her own breath, loud enough for Xue to hear it.

The older turian woman turned around and gently, her mandibles flapped open to her a remorseful smile for her. Marhna paid no attention to it as she willed herself not to cry as the burst of adrenaline in her ran out.

"I'm sorry child, he's.."

Xuehana drifted off as the quarian lifted her head up to share at the speaking turian woman. Her eyes were brighter than usual. It was a sign of tears, no longer able to be controlled by her. Slowly, the woman sighed.

"I'm so sorry..." She spoke softly as she watched the quarian flee out of the restaurant and into the streets of the presidium.

**...**

* * *

**...**

At this point, all Marhna wanted to do was hit something. She was irritated beyond any chance of allowing a cooler head prevail. How could she have been so weak? So utterly lost as that damn turian yelled at her... Keelah... she was like her mother. Completely incapable of independent thought. Living by her father's rule and the fleets demands.

She sighed and tried to forget her family as she read the chronometer on her omni-tool.

Two hours and fifteen minutes. Keelah, they had been standing in this line up for two and a quarter hours, listening to creaming of the various species inside, the bass thumping of some melodic melody and the people around them talking in loud voices and looking uncertain about the only three quarians willing to stand in line with them.

Marhna ignored them and looked over to Fel and Kalia, both of whom were much more patient than she was. They had both come to accept the second class treatment quarians were submitted to on their pilgrimage. Like good little quarians they would take the delays and abuse with a silent submission, submission that was latching slowly onto her as well.

Perhaps this was the reason for the pilgrimage. Not to warn the young about the outside world, but to turn them so empty, so broken to the racism of the galaxy, that they would sooner rather stick with their own kind, willing to submit to the worse that the flotilla had to offer, with a smile on their face and a song in the heart...

"Any time now..." Marhna snapped softly, tapping her foot in an unusual show of impatience.

The Krogan bouncer did not pay her any attention, as usual. Not since they reached the front of the line and were promptly told that they were to capacity. Marhna snorted at the lie, she knew what this was.

"Marhna, you're completely stressing out." Kalia stated as if it were fact. "I have it on good authority that we're completely welcomed here. If they're full capacity, then they're probably telling the truth. This isn't the flotilla; they can't just cramp a thousand people into a space for five hundred. There are rules."

The grumpy quarian tried her best to ignore her friend's words. They rang too much truth to it. Yes, The _Altura _was quite packed looking, even from out here. Still, she could bet that there were no quarians in there. Fel sighed loudly as he noticed that Marhna was hunched over, deep in thought, most likely negative as usual.

"Marhna needs to get drunk." Fel said to Kalia, smirking from behind his plate glass. "This uptight attitude will make her worse than Admiral Zorah and his "_do your duty for the fleet or else we all will pay for laziness!"_ propaganda hour on the fleet intercom."

Kalia continued her giggle as they watched Marhna get more and more upset with their teasing. She turned away from them. _Useless, no good layabouts, freeloading..._

Marhna continued her tirade silently, deciding to spare her two friends the full rage she had buried into herself for their sake. It wasn't their fault, just the irritation of a month straight of verbal abuse from bastard turian's and others races that looked down their noses as she wandered out of the slums of the Citadel and into the upper wards.

There was a sudden bump against her shoulder, causing her to ricochet off of Kalia's body. A human stepped past her, accompanying him, of all things, was a turian female, both of whom were dressed up in way that spelled wealth. Marhna narrowed her eyes at the people involved for the sudden smack,

"Pardon me, miss." She heard a male voice, belonging to the human, mutter distractedly to her. They stepped up to the krogan who nodded and opened the gate for them without any protest.

Marhna was speechless at first, how in the many hells of Rannoch, was this fair? They had been standing in this line for two hours, standing in the front of the line for a good forty five minutes, waiting to be finally allowed in. Now they were just being ignored for some... some overdressed, overinflated... pretty boy?

"Watch where you're going, jerk!" Marhna cried out suddenly. It may have been late but it definitely caught the human and the turian's attention.

They turned back and faced the group of quarians. Fel and Kalia looked between the two aliens and the back to Marhna's determined expression. They stepped backwards. They would have her back, but no, they would not rush to a battle. Not even for Marhna. Marhna, however, did not care in the slightest. Her attention was focused solely on the human who seemed to be much smugger about himself then the turian next to him.

"I've been waiting in this damn line up for two hours and you get to cut in? Well screw you, you overinflated, pretty boy...prick!" She ranted, crossing his arms and simply glared at the human who had made the mistake of cutting past her on a day where she was close to killing anyone and anything that annoyed her.

The human raised an eyebrow at the annoyed quarian and glanced back at the turian woman standing next to him. Her mandibles flapped open, almost amused by the quarians reaction.

The man chuckled before leaning into the turian's ear and whispered something. She nodded and together, they continued walking. The human's arm rose up and wrapped around the turian woman's shoulder, almost immediately it was pushed off by the woman.

Marhna exhaled and turned back to Fel and Kalia, who were staring at the grumpy women with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"What in the hell's of Rannoch do you want?" She growled at her two friends, as if daring them to even speak. Fel glanced at Kalia. Kalia glanced back to Fel. Together, they howled at the third quarians expense.

"W-what happened to _Pushover Marhna_?" Kalia asked, giggling as she latched onto her best friends arm. Marhna merely shrugged as Fel begun to laugh at what he had just witnessed.

"I'm tired of the abuse; I just want to be confident, if only for tonight." Marhna returned, her anger slowly fading away into bitterness. "I want to get a couple drinks in me and forget that I'm stuck in the middle of a nightmare. Is that fine by you two?"

Fel and Kalia laughter eventually died down and together they nodded their heads, empathetic for their angry fellow quarian. They would allow their friend these feelings, it was only fair. Despite her own anger in her still at a boiling point, she smiled at her friends graciously from behind her mask.

"Better be, since I'm paying for all of this.." She teased them playfully and turned away. The feelings of indignation and bitterness were subsiding. Perhaps she just needed this unleashing of simple anger to help her deal with the injustices this pilgrimage revealed to her.

There was a sudden grunt that caught her attention. Marhna looked up and noticed the krogan bouncer staring at her hard. She turned her body around to face the bouncer properly, attempting to smile again.

"Not wise pushing my boss around, Envirosuit." The krogan grumbled at the three of them with a menacing undertone to it. "You're just lucky he's been amused enough to give you and your friends VIP access."

_Boss? The man in the suit, the turian on his arm?_

_"We're getting in?"_ Kalia spoke first, surprised at the sudden reversal of fortune.

_"VIP access?"_ Fel chimed in, his long hands excitedly rubbing together at the chance to try something exclusive.

_"Your boss?"_ Marhna returned, staring blankly at the krogan. She did not notice her two friends go deadly still as they managed to put two and two together. The krogan snorted and nodded his reptilian head, his lips smirking at the quarian as if he was going to turn her into his next meal.

"Yeah, David Prince. He runs this place." The bouncer grumbled as he stepped aside to allow the three quarians passage inside. "Now get in now or when you lot get back from your pilgrimage and settle down, I'll show up and eat your goddamn children in front of you."

Fel and Kalia did not need to be asked twice. Both of them ducked past the krogan and sped inside of the club. Marhna sighed and followed them as well, albeit at a much slower pace. Tonight was getting pretty strange.

"_Keelah_... VIP? Marhna, we need to get you upset often.."

Marhna paid no mind to the comment made by the stupid male, nor the renewed laughter. Instead she looked over his shoulder and caught the sight of the human she had yelled at, David Prince. He was ignoring the noise of the thunderously loud bass line pounding away from deeper inside of the dance floors. He was talking to an asari and a couple of turian males, all the while the female turian appeared back in his arms and tightly against his side much to her noticeably obvious discomfort.

Even from the distance, Marhna could find a thrill of happiness at the sight of the two male turian's seemingly glaring at the sight of him standing so passionately close to the turian woman on his arm. The human did not seem fazed at the mounting rage... in fact he seemed to have been _enjoying_ it. He let go of the turian woman, who seemed relieved and pecked her mandible, causing it to flare up into a look of surprise.

The two turian's merely stared, not daring to do anything. What _could_ they do?

He ushered the woman along ahead of him and stood there from the balcony, over viewing the dance floor where his patrons blew their hard earned credits on alcohol by the hundreds and grinded their troubles away in a sweaty passionate fury.

Slowly, he seemed to have sighed and turned back, inadvertently turning to face Marhna, Kalia and Fel, making all three stop at the sight of the wealthy human's sudden and unexpected attention.

The three looked at each other nervously and then back to the human, whose quizzical expression begged for some sort of answer. Kalia, who had looked to Marhna, the reason they were heading to the VIP section to speak up first. Marhna, however merely crossed her arms and stared at the human that offended her.

"Um... Thank you for your generosity...Mister...Prince?"

David Prince ran his hand through his gelled back hair and, almost reluctantly, turned his watchful stare over Marhna and looked at the second female. He outstretched his hand and he smiled cordially.

"Mister Prince was my father, David Prince will do, miss." The club owner explained to Kaila, smirking slightly. "Don't be afraid to order anything you wish, my staff are at your beckoning..." He paused and sighed before looking up to Kalia and adding. "Please, shake my hand, will you? It's getting tired."

Kalia's eyes looked down and widened as she realized she had left David Prince's hand hanging there in the air. Quickly, she recovered, reaching out and took his hand, shaking it curtly. Instead of being angry as she had expected, David merely chuckled at the greeting faux pas.

"I have a stipulation though." He said, allowing Kalia's hand to fall out of his grip. "You tell your pretty, black suited friend to stop glaring holes into my head. Ladies and Gentleman."

David Prince' face broke into a bright smile as he heard both Kalia and Vel laugh at the expense of Marhna'Quaera, who blocked out the comment. The owner of the _Altura_ turned his smile over to her and after a slight nod for her, wandered past the group, allowing his eyes to linger back over to Marhna if only for a while longer.

He left, leaving both Kalia and Vel excited at the prospect of getting drunk for free and Marhna silent.

...

* * *

...

"Hey Mom, interviews?"

Marhna looked away from Tali and smiled brilliantly at the sight of a teenager and the little girl, who looked no more than six, was latched on his arm and staring up at the quarians curiously. Marhna leaned over and and gave her older son a quick side hug before pecking the little girl's head, who squealed and squirmed at the quarians affection.

She widened her eyes... This woman, she had a family. Not just this David, but children who loved and adored her, even if she was not a human like the woman who had birthed her, they seemed to have treated her like she was their actual mother. Slowly, uncertainly, Tali smiled from behind her mask, her hands interlacing at the memorizing sight of the blended family all together

"No. A new patron and Friend of Mai, Tali, these are two out of three of my children, my oldest, Michael and Laura, the baby." Marhna introduced warmly "Children, this is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."

Michael waved slightly and the little girl grunted, instead of saying hi to the second quarian, she merely let go of her brother's hand and pulled himself into Marhna's lap. She briefly looked up to Tali but then turned her attention back to her mother, a pout on her lips as she crossed her arms.

"When's Daddy comin' home, mama?" She demanded to know. "I want him back!"

Tali watched as Marhna sighed dramatically; it was clearly not the first time she had to ask that question. Marhna glanced upwards to Michael and smiled briefly. As she noticed her son roll his eyes, she turned back to Laura and bounced her finger off her nose, causing the girl to squirm in her arms and cry out a loud protesting squeal.

"Daddy'll be home in a few days. I promise." She reassured the child. Laura narrowed her eyes at the quarian mother, trying to determine whether or not Marhna was bluffing just to keep her from getting mad.

"Better promise." She grumbled. Marhna chuckled lowly and sighed, her long fingers stroking the child's cheek soothingly.

"Daughter... You're a bigger drama queen than your daddy, and that is saying something, little lady." Marhna returned, smiling vividly at her child before looking up to Michael, adding. "Could you go and get her fed at that little levo/dextro restaurant that just opened up? Just down from here?"

Michael groaned hard and narrowed his eyes at his mother, how merely smiled innocently and went back to watching little Laura tug on her hairbraids as though it were the most entertaining thing in the world.

"_Mother,_" The young man said sharply. "That's where that quarian girl, Galina, works part time. You're _sooo_ damn obvious. It's painful to watch."

Tali turned back to Marhna who looked scandalized at the accusation laid on her by her son.

"And what, pray tell, what's wrong with that?" Marhna cried out, as though she was being accused of a grievous crime. "You're seventeen years old, you're clearly not gay from all those other girls you bring around," Tali watched Marhna shudder at the mention of _other_ _girls. _She added, "All I want you to have a nice, pretty quarian girl, so I'm not stuck with a family of mostly insane humans all the time. Is that a crime"

Tali chuckled lightly as the young man smacked his hand against his face in clear frustration.

"You're my mom, not my pimp, _fuuuck_.." Michael muttered, shaking his head in disappointment. Marhna's eyes widened as she heard the utterance of the profanity. She reached out and promptly smacked Michael's head. The action earned a happy giggle from the little girl on her lap.

"Don't you _dare_ swear around your sister." She all but growled at her eldest child. "Now go and ask that cutie out or I can guarentee you, I'll set you two up myself!"

Laura crawled off her mother's lap and grabbed the older boys hand, screaming about how she was going to help her Momma get what she wanted, in this case, a new quarian girl to mother. Tali chuckled as she watched Marhna's poor son was lead away from the small girl, past the krogan bouncer, Garax, who grunted in near amusement. Marhna sighed and glanced over to the Admiral's daughter. She chuckled slightly..

"Sorry about that, Tali'Zorah. Mother's to quarians have it easy, their children's brains steadily grows over an eighteen to twenty year period. Human children, on the other hand grow in spurts, making how they end up so unpredictable. It means I have to rear them harder." She explained with a tired smile. "I swear if Michael doesn't start thinking about nice quarian girls, I'm just going to lose it..."

Marhna stood up and looked over Tali, who was still watching the children depart with a greater interest then she would admit. Slowly, the club owner smirked playfully.

"Do not worry," She spoke to her warmly, her hand clutching Tali's still, causing her to look up at her. "You will learn this one day soon in the near future. Motherhood is written all over you Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Be patient with him and it will come sooner than you think. "

_John and her having children of their own? _It was a thrilling thought, but with the problems between her and John being so present... she just could not think about them right now. Between the looming threat of the Reaper invasion and their problems, she could not plan a future like that if there was not one to plan for...

She watched as Marhna followed her children' lead, pausing briefly to kiss Kasumi's cheek once more and to say goodbye to the asari lawyer. As Marhna departed out of the front doors leading to the street, Kasumi stood up and walked over, her vodka and tonic in one hand and a massive smile for the younger quarian. She took a seat next to Tali, grinning at the lost look in Tali's bright eyes.

"Soooo... first impressions... what did you think? How did it go?" Kasumi asked, leaning against Tali's shoulder blade.

Tali sighed and shrugged, though they had not touched on her problems, it became painfully clear already just how alike they might have been. If it were not for her father being an admiral and...and.. Shepard dying the way he had, she could have seen herself demanding to stay in the outside world. All for a human who she did not know even if he cared for her at the time.

"I think I'll be coming back tomorrow." Tali admitted to her human best friend. "I think she can help."

Kasumi did not reply to her. Instead she merely shot Tail that mischievous little smile she had when she knew something more than she was willing to let on.


	2. The Offer

**Chapter Two: The Offer**

...

What in the hell was wrong with that girl?

"You dork." Kasumi Goto tsked in amused disapproval as she watched Shepard rub his knee tenderly. "She's going to meet my second mother for advice on you! Dork."

John Shepard took a seat at the table, ignoring the laughter from Garrus at the opposite end of the table. Tali's dangerous looking feet were not just for show. They could kick harder than he anticipated. Jesus, He asked here where she was going? It wasn't like he asked Tali if she was sleeping with the woman!

"Shouldn't I like... go or something." John grumbled, annoyed at the woman's barb. "I'm not exactly a fan of being talked about behind my back, especially when it involves someone I care for."

"I was right." Kasumi groaned. "Your father didn't teach you anything about women."

Shepard arched his brow.

"My Father taught me all I need to know about women, thank you very much." John shot back glaring at Kasumi's apparent understanding of his family life. "He told me that women loved to get teased by good looking men, so be good looking at all times and I'd muddle on through."

Shepard chuckled to himself as he saw the horrified expression written across the Japanese girl's face. He shrugged and added. "So far... so good."

Kasumi's hand slowly smacked against her face as she heard both Garrus and Shepard laugh at the remark and at her expense.

"Never mind, your dad sounds like a real charmer." She groaned, ignoring the mild grin on Shepard's face.

"No Miss Goto, I'm afraid that Shepard's father sounds like a genius, a wise man beyond his years." Garrus countered, earning a smack on the back of the head from a more annoyed than ever thief.

"Ignore Scarface here, Shep and listen, I know from experience." Kasumi explained as she rubbed the bridge of her nose impatiently. "A quarian woman in most cases is too proud to talk to those they have a problem with. Instead they love to have a serious personal problem solved with help from their own kind or someone similar to her. You being male, let alone human kinda makes it hard to go to talk to you directly."

John squinted, were quarian women really that convoluted? Where the hell did that come from and why didn't he keep to Kasumi sooner if she was such an expert in quarians.

"Face it, Shep," She added, smiling smugly at the confused looking man. "Women regardless of the species, are the more complicated sex."

Shepard snorted.

"That's nothing to be smug about, Goto." Shepard countered, half grinning at the absurdity of it all. "Complicated doesn't mean better. I mean look at the Collectors we fought, they spent years trying to lure me into a trap and all I had to do was fly through their relay and radiate the shit out of them."

While Garrus nodded in agreement, Kasumi rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically at the Spectre's terrible analogy and the vigilante's terrible cronyism. Or was it that male desire to always stand by their brother.

"Trust an attractive, militarily brilliant but socially dimwitted man to have to use violence as a means to justify himself." She returned sarcastically and left him on his own to quietly contemplate what in the hell was wrong with every single woman on board this ship.

"So... You and Tali. And you both didn't tell old Garrus about it?" Garrus spoke up, breaking the silence. Inwardly, John groaned, telling Garrus was more than enough punishment for his jumping to conclusion.

**...**

* * *

**...**

_From Marhna'Prince_

_To: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy_

_Miss Zorah, from what I gathered from Mai -Kasumi. Your ship is on stand down and you have a lot of free time. I know, however lousy quarian I may be, that the drive core is always in need of attention. If you do find yourself some spare time away from your duties this afternoon and out of arm's reach of your intrepid Captain, come and meet me at the Dark Star, that quaint little asari lounge for something to eat. Alone. _

_Do not feel obligated to my offer, Like I imagine you are feeling at this moment. I have some business there regardless, if now is not the best time, then we will arrange for some other time. _

_x_

_Marhna'Prince._

...

Tali looked up from the letter the fifth time that afternoon. This time, however, she growled. That no good, awful human. Tempting her into a new life outside the flotilla, only to treat her to suspicion.

Tali ignored the slight limp she still had from kicking Shepard over the princess comment. Whatever those Cerberus bastards added to him made him much less vulnerable to hand to hand combat. As useful as it was in the field it made him unfeeling of her rage.

Okay, maybe she blew it out of proportion. In hindsight, screaming at Shepard about their private life in front of someone like Garrus Vakarian may not have been very wise on her part. Poor John would be undoubtedly heckled. Tali paused and recalled John calling her a princess right in front of that turian. She scowled inwardly.

_Poor John indeed_. She hoped Garrus would harass that big, pale, hairless... ape with his dark eyes, with a well toned chest and abdomen shaped by the ancestors. With arms that could lift her up with ease, attached to those arms hands with so many digits that could control absolutely everything about her and a butt so firm and just waiting to be felt up by her wandering hands.

Tali shook her head violently as she stood there waiting for the waitress to approach her. Stupid, sexy Shepard. Why did he have to be a new source of annoyance for her? Were they both too stupid to be together?

"Can I help you, _quarian_?" a voice called behind her, sounding like she could not believe a quarian was standing there waiting for an audience. Tali turned and found an asari staring back at her. Tali crossed her arms and leaned back.

"Yes I think that you can, _waitress_." Tali returned, her voice as haughtily toned as the asari had been. "I'm meeting another quarian, Marhna'Prince for lunch. Are you going to be the one _serving_ us?"

The asari narrowed her eyes at the defiant quarian, nevertheless she gestured Tali to follow her. Tali smirked to her for her small victory. If there was one thing she had learned from her John, it was how to make an apparent superior being humbled by people like John or her.

The waitress and the engineer stopped. There sitting together in what looked like a heated argument was a well dressed asari matron and a veiled woman, undoubtedly Marhna.

"You know as well as I that inspections are random and unbiased, even for your... Children." Tali caught the asari saying, her high voice condescending to the veiled woman. "You were lucky it was only a twenty five thousand credit fine this time. You could have had your license revoked had you not kept your magnificent temper in check. You must be more careful Marhna sweetie, running a business, it might make your head hurt."

The figure sitting with her back to Tali remained solid; not at all concerned by the remark, Instead, she leaned inwards to the hard looking asari.

"Listen close," The second woman returned, her voice strangely calm. "you continue to wreck Solaria' reputation, I might have to call in a few favors with regards to the red sand being dealing here so freely. I imagine it'll make buying this place out that much cheaper."

The asari leaned in and hissed something unintelligible, causing Marhna'Prince to narrow her eyes at the asari sitting across from her. Slowly, she obliged the asari owner's inaudible demand: Get Out.

She stood up and turned away, only to find Tali standing there, simply staring at the unsuited quarian. Marhna's dark frown formed into a vivid smile for her fellow quarian. She stepped forward and outstretched her hand, gripping Tali's suited arm tightly.

"Hello again Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, come with me. I'm afraid I may have overstayed our welcome before we even managed to sit together." Marhna greeted her new acquaintance gently. She looked away from her fellow quarian, adding. "I'm sorry; but trust me, why anyone would pay an overfucked whore to serve them watered down drinks at this dump is beyond me..."

Tali felt a sudden blast of heat from the words and followed the gaze of the older woman and found she was speaking not only to her, but to a gathering of Alliance Marines all waiting patiently to be served. A couple of the marines heard the vile comment and chuckled. Notably they were human women, who had seemed tedious bored of their male comrade in arms, ogling the asari woman, now behind the bar.

The asari owner shot the unsuited quarian a withering glare, but turned back to her customers, hoping that she hadn't lost them to a spiteful quarian. As soon s the two quarias left the bar, Marhna gave a low angry sounding groan,

"I'm not in the mood to deal with.. _them_. Asari." Marhna growled to Tali, her hands forming tight fists. "Prissy, manipulative bitches. That whore alerted some undercover license enforcers that I was allowing children to patronage my club. Those children were my children!"

She shook her head in annoyance.

"Keelah, there ought to be a law about sterilizing people like them." Marhna grumbled under her breath. "The asari genepool should never be this bad shape."

They waked silently, Marhna appeared to be in a trancelike state as she tried to calm her state of mind out of business mode and into a much kinder presentation, the one Tali had met only a day prior. Slowly, the trance broke and Marhna became alert once more.

"How about we go and patronage Dravik's." Marhna finally spoke, her words much warmer than before. "That little eatery I mentioned the other day. Remember? He's a turian but I don't hold it against him."

Tali chuckled and privately smirked.

"And harass poor Galina into seeing your son?" Tali teased, catching Marhna off guard if only for several seconds.

"You read my mind, Tali'Zorah." Marhna grinned vividly, apparently liking Tali's thinking. "Honestly, I could use a new coat check girl at the club. It would help bend her ear to my position on Michael and her."

"Don't you think you're being a bit forward and controlling his future?" Tali asked, her smile faltering as she decided to defend the teenager's choice in who he'd be able to date. It did not seem fair that Marhna would be so controlling in light of her abandoning the fleet to pursue her own selfish desires.

Marhna shrugged helplessly.

"I probably am meddling more than I should, but a mother can dream." Marhna admitted as she sighed as she wrapped her hands together and smiled gently at Tali. "Once you spend two decades primarily in the company of humans, you do miss your people... somewhat."

Tali stopped walking and turned to Marhna, her head and helmet cocked at the club owner.

"I thought you said you were not a fan of quarians."

"I said I hate the fleet. I do not hate the individual." Marhna clarified as she nodded her head to several salarians passing by them. "We were a proud species once. But we became too set in this fleet's rigid idiot thinking. Three hundred years ago, we could have quite easily found a place to colonize, but we did not. Why? Partly, our fault, partly the citadel races."

"We were no threat to them, nor did we answer to the council anymore after they removed us from the ranks of the organization? How could they apply their policies on former members?" Marhna continued, ignoring Tali's tilted head. "It's much like the First Contact War. The turians applied council species response on humans who had never even seen aliens before. As for us, our people were too complacent in the early days."

Marhna laughed but there was no humor in her voice.

"Now look at where it has led to." She finished sighing to herself. "Our people are a galactic joke and a poster child to why the council is unquestionably this galaxy's deciders in everything."

"The day is coming where Rannoch will be returned." Tali returned, biting back a response that would most certainly offend the older quarian. Marhna smiled indulgently at the woman. It reminded her of her mother, how she would go along with whatever her daughter was babbling on about.

"Oh and how do you know that?" Marhna challenged, her brow raised. "The geth told you they'd lay down their arms and let the backstabbers that gave birth to them return?"

For the sake of civility, Tali decided against admitting that Shepard had actually befriended a geth platform.

"You're a geth apologist?" Tali asked, her voice fighting to remain neutral as she stared at the quarian. Marhna shook her head.

"No. I just know when someone has done wrong to another." She attempted to explain to the younger quarian. "We abused a sentient intelligent that, at the time, had barely the cognitive functionality of a three year old. When we sent the deactivation order, we force evolved it to bee genocidal through our own genocidal attempt. What did we expect? Compassion? Respect for their makers?"

Marhna'Prince huffed bitterly.

"What right do we have to judge them for their actions, when we were not much better?" She muttered to herself rather than to Tali. "What right do we have to Rannoch?"

She paused, glanced at the silent woman, slowly, Marhna smiled ruefully.

"I'm sorry." She apologized profusely. Before Tali could defend herself with as much fire as Marhna had in her. "I have a nasty temper when we approach a subject like this. My precious Mai can vouch for that."

"I figured you might have had one when you told me you called your future husband a prick to his face." Tali teased the older woman, who was trying to remain serious.

"Trust me, Tali'Zorah." Marhna sighed as she thought about it. "It only got worse for the next few years."

...

* * *

...

**Citadel Station: 2161 CE**

**..**

For a first time in a club such as this Marhna found it... interesting.

From the turntable, the DJ, a human male seriously underweight stood behind the setup, bouncing his head back and forth and was screaming in a feminine sounding human language her translator could not pick up. The crowd however did not mind, they must have understood it by the way they were responding as though he were an orator.

Neither did seem to bother Kalia and Fel, who were on and off the dance floor and at the bar, making full advantage of the free night of liquor provided courtesy by the owner, David Prince. Unlike Marhna, who was feeling cold and aloof to all of this new experience, they were having the time of their lives.

Kalia and Fel returned with fresh drinks for the three of them, neither of the two appeared aware of how out of place the black suited quarian was feeling. Marhna nodded politely as Kalia screamed something at her, but could not be audible over the DJ's treble and electronic noise blaring overhead. Instead, Marhna turned away and reattached the canister to her suit receptor.

There was a sudden movement to the table next to them. Marhna turned to pay attention to it and widened her eyes. It was two dark haired human females, the smaller of the two sitting in the others lap; together their mouths were latched in a desperate struggle for dominance, a struggle that seemed to be won by the girl on top. There were several males watching the sight with grins that seemed clearly excited at the sight. Two of them seemed to have slapped the palms of each other's hands like some sort of primitive expression of approval.

Marhna winced at the sight, but, out of sheer curiosity, she kept one eye open to keep this spectacle under close supervision. Homosexuality was something rather... unexpected to say the least. It was largely frowned on back in the fleet. It was not the sight of two attractive gay human females that bothered her. It was just how mouth spit, saliva and germs that seemed to have been exchanged between each other's mouth... and on their necks... and on the top of each other's cleavage... and inside each other's dresses.

Marhna widened her eyes. _Keelah..._

"WATCH THIS!"

Marhna turned her head reluctantly to find Fel'Vagar with a canister of alcohol double the size both Kalia and Marhna were drinking from Fel was throwing his head back and forth to the beat of the house music, looking like he was having the time of his life. With a final throw of his head, he tilted his head back and slowly drained the liter of hard liquor in the canister. Though the quarians watched quietly, the humans around them were throwing him cheers of encouragement. Whether it was actually for the gay women or for Fel, Marhna wasn't sure anymore.

The sound of the straw draining dry caused him to slump into his seat, he pulled the canister out and threw his hands into the air.

"I LOVE HUMANS!" He screamed, earning a round of enthusiastic cries of agreement from the others. Kalia squealed happily and did not notice Marhna had ducked her head away from the sight of the drunk male.

"No... No.. Marhna, Kali, listen. serious -isten" Fel spoke up, gripping Kalia's shoulders to stay steady. "Th-they understand this...a good time. They just... understand... keelah, I'm drunk. This would never be imagined by most of the quarians on the fleet."

"Keelah makes you sound like a faggot!" Marhna over heard a rambunctious human male cry out. "Say Fuck instead!"

Fel yelled back an enthusiastic "Thanks!" and turned back to the female quarians.

"Re-remember Xarax'Falus?" He reminisced with a smile in his tone. "He got back from his pilgrimage a yer ago. He spent half that time telling everyone how fucking spectacular these fucking humans are? Keelah.. I thought he was making stories. Said they party like krogans!"

Marhna closed her eyes and attempted not to gut punch the intoxicated quarian, whose hand just flew up and smacked her in the mask.

"Fel, shut up, you're drunk." Marhna growled lowly, sipping her drink. Fel however, was not perturbed by the tone.

"I'm not drunk, you're just a f-fucking angry person." He huffed, standing up from his seat once more and staggered in place. Kalia grinned and smacked her friends shoulder playfully.

"Heee's got you there, Marhna girl!" Kalia teased viciously. She turned to Fel, adding "Come on Fel, let's go dance!"

Fel nodded and staggered into Kalia's waiting arms to be led off to the dance floor, leaving, what they thought was an angry Marhna behind. From behind her mask, Marhna smiled at the two quarians having a good time together. They both needed to get out of the slums. She turned away and looked at her canister sitting in front of her.

Marhna looked up caught the sudden sight of David Prince. He was alone as he approached table of asari's several tables down. He seemed to have grinned briefly as the asari women cackled over a joke shared between them. She watched as David took a seat pulling a bag of white powder out of his jacket pocket.

"Freshen your drink, babe?"

Marhna looked up to the asari waitress standing at her side. Marhna nodded and handed back the canister. The asari smiled dazzlingly and wandered back towards the bar. He quarian sighed and stood upwards. She'd have another drink and leave, but not before saying thank you to the human that made her friend's night so memorable.

"Daviiie. You got a visitor!" One of the asari cried out, grinning at the quarian condescendingly. The two other with looked up and giggled at the sight of Marhna, standing in front of them awkwardly. David snorted the white chalk line in one go and flung his head backwards to look over the quarian merely staring at him. His eyes widened in a sudden remembrance of just who she was.

"Hey, it's the angry quarian! Neat!" He exclaimed, tilting his head at her. "I hope you're enjoying yourself?"

Marhna shifted at the angry quarian remark. Yes, her anger got the better of her.

"Yes I am, I just wanted to say thank you for your hospitality." She finally spoke to the human watching her close. "My friends are having a wonderful time."

David Prince nodded, a silly smile on his lips.

"You can thank me by reducing your bitch levels down several notches." He asked of her, still grinning. The asari surrounding him giggled once more at the statement made by the club owner. Marhna once more, shifted guilty. She deserved that.

"I had a bad day... M-my boss was worse than usual and I took it out on you. I'm sorry." She explained to him, hoping she would understand. He stared at her, as though deafened by the roaring bass the house DJ was producing. However, he snorted and looked her over.

"Today I had to go defend my right have a license for this place for the eighth time in a month, I had to deal with some prick whose found religion out of the blue, claiming that I run a house of "sin and temptation" and is currently trying to sue me because his wife divorced him after she caught him fucking some girl in my bathroom." He listed off, causing her to blush. "Finally, to top it off, I get called a fucking prick outside my own club, in front of my customers and employees, so tell me? dearest?" He asked her. "Who had the worst day?"

David stared at her, his smile gone; replacing it was a stern expression of annoyance at the quarian's behavior. Marhna bowed her head, embarrassed by David's interpretation of what happened.

"You're forgiven by the way." He pointedly informed her. "Just remember you're not the only one who's capable of having a bad day, swallow your rage and find a better release then on some schmuck trying to go to work..."

The stern look disappeared and back once again was the smile. There was a sudden snort and a painful cry out. One of the asari had snorted a line of what David had just snorted. The asari looked up at Marhna and slowly, she grinned at her.

"You ever get mind fucked, quarian?" She asked Marhna sweetly, wiping the white dust under her nostrils. "You look like you could use it and I'm _mooore_ than willing to relieve that tension in you. Break that sweet little virgin stance you have going on right now and make you cry harder then you've ever cried before."

The three asari giggled at the lecherous comments. Marhna closed her eyes and attempted to block out the words that horrified her. She reopened her eyes to see that David had chuckled and leaned back in to his seat. He kicked out a free chair for Marhna, and turned his charismatic smile up towards her.

"You're not mind fucking anyone tonight, Daeli." David informed the asari, still grinning at her. He looked to the shocked quarian and gestured to the seat, adding. "Come on, sit, unnamed quarian, lemme guess, you had an awful day because you work in a shittily ran dextro cafe."

Marhna glared hard into the eyes of the man who made such an accurate guess.

"That's a big assumption." Marhna returned, taking the seat. As she did, the asari waitress returned to her side and gently placed her canister of alcohol down on the table in front of her.

"Your suit is clean, meaning you're not one for hard labor." David observed, pointing out how near spotless her envirosuit was. "You still need a means to try to pay for coming to this place, meaning you're employed in the only other position quarians are hired for, other than general labor behind the scenes in the slummiest slums: kitchen staff."

Behind plate glass, Marhna narrowed her eyes at the unassuming human. Not out of anger, but more because how correct he was. David leaned back into seat and rose his glass, sipping it.

"Your boss is a turian who probably hired you for tax exemption reasons, rather than out of the kindness of his heart, meaning his business is undoubtedly failing and hiring you saves him three things: tax savings for this sort of charity, no benefits asked by a starving quarian, who has no clue what medical, dental, overtime and paid vacation is. Finally, and this is my favorite part." He said, sounding boyishly excited. "They don't pay you enough because quarians have no concept on free market capitalism anymore, all thanks to their communal effort for survival, compared to the tough dog eat dog world the rest of this fucking galaxy is."

He set the glass down and smiled slightly at the numb quarian.

"You and by extension, your people, will take any shit deal they come across and revere it like fucking gold and, because you're young, you'll undoubtedly work harder." He concluded, still smiling in a way that looked condescending to her.

He face leaned against the table and snorted a long line of the white substance. He pulled his head back up, babbling in some strange alien tongue and shaking his head, along with the asari sitting around him, laughed at the sight of him. David turned his head back to Marhna, twitching slightly.

"Am I right, sweetie?" He asked her with that stupid ticking grin on his face for her.

"Yes... you are _correct_. Happy?" Marhna admitted to the narcotic snorting human.

David widened his eyes and shook his head. His hands reached into his pockets shaking and pulled out his horn rimmed glasses.

"No, No, No, No ahh, and another no; Not at all." David said as he wrapped them over his eyes and leaned backwards, scratching his forehead. "You see, this is my biggest problem with the turians. They make claim to be naturally untalented business men, so much so they have the volus manage their companies on the side. They say it's an "Honor Streak" they have." He told her, miming quotations around the word 'Honor.' "But, if they hire a race they deem unworthy or problematic, they'll cut all the corners to make nice profit off of them. Fucking disgusting practice."

The human paused, frowned, and looked back up to Marhna.

"Or this guy you work for is a real cunt I don't fucking know." He added, shrugging to himself. Marhna bowed her head and willed herself not talk about it, lest she begun to cry right in front of all of these people.

"I'm going to go." She announced aloud, nodding to the club owner. "Thanks for the drinks once more, Mister Prince. I had a lot of fun."

As she turned, she heard the human snort.

"You can thank me by giving your name." David spoke lazily, condescendingly in her opinion.

"What name?" Marhna snapped back, losing her cool as he glared down at the annoying human. "According to you, I'm just a simpleminded, gullible quarian, working for employers that hate my guts. So why should I give my name to the all powerful David Prince who hands out charity to the stupid, pathetic idiot quarians."

There was flash of surprise that was immediately buried on David Prince's face.

"I don't think you're stupid, nor is this charity. I just know you can be so much more then what you are!" He returned, throwing his hands up excited. Under her breath, Marhna growled. She tilted her head back as she swallowed the last of her drink in one gulp. She unsealed it and tossed the canister into David's lap. David stood up crying out in a protesting untranslated human language, ignoring the asari whore's giggling yet again at Marhna's expense.

"You do realize that I'm going to locate you in less than 48 hours." He informed her as she walked away from him. "This conversation isn't over!"

Marhna did not reply as she left her friends wordlessly at the table. She did not notice the smile for her die back down into apathy.

**...**

* * *

**...**

Tali chuckled as she opened the door to _Darvik's Place_ for Marhna.

"You weren't particularly friendly to him on your first meeting." Tali observed, smirking inside her helmet.

Marhna perched her thin lips and nodded sheepishly.

"He was a loud mouth, coke snorting asshole, charming asari trust fund whores... maidens out of their money, and I was in a pretty bad state." Marhna admitted to her new acquaintance and her pseudo daughter's best friend. "David and I weren't a love at first sight couple, like it appears you and your Spectre are. It took hard work and many years, until we were on equal standing."

Tali huffed as Marhna inferred to John and her own relationship together.

"If it was love at first sight, why'd he sleep with an asari?" She challenged Marhna's words. Marhna smiled her mysterious little smile for the girl.

"Most likely because you were a fresh of the boat pilgrim." She reminded the broody quarian. "He was probably very uncertain about you; he probably expected your obligation to the fleet came way before him, am I right?

As they stepped towards the waiting room, Tali nodded. Marhna was right, she may have been considered an adult, but she hadn't seen the sort of things John had. It took a long time before she could begin to understand the kind of man Shepard was, the amount of physical and mental scars that existed.

The final straw was losing her entire team twice, once on Freedom's Progress, the second, and much more frightening, on Haelstrom. As she sat there alone, waiting to inevitably die, she finally managed to comprehend what it meant to be like John Shepard.

"At the time? Yes." Tali admitted softly. "Now? I... I want to be there for my people, but, I know this sounds selfish, but it has to be him standing there next to me."

"It's not selfish, Tali'Zorah." Marhna assured her, with a friendly smile. "Not when your captain, your lover can help your people out much more they can help themselves."

"They're your people as well; Marhna'Prince." Tali reminded her fellow quarian, her tone humorous. Marhna snorted at the mere mention of her making nice with those who did not understand her.

"Not if I told them all to let me live my life, the way I deem it..." She trailed off and slowly smiled excitedly.

She leaned over and nudged Tali and turned her eyes, following Marhna's gaze. There, approaching the two quarians, was a third quarian, marching towards them with determination in each step. Marhna's smile formed into a grin. Tali frowned, she swore that she had seen thiis quarian before...

"Hello Galina'Voar." Marhna greeted as the you\ng woman approached them.

The auburn colored quarian looked up, her helmet focused on the two older quarians. Galina stood up straight as though in a sudden military inspection by the woman who had gotten her this well paying position.

"Hello Mrs. Prince, how are you today?" Galina chirped brightly, while her body of disciplined, her words were bright and bubbly, so feminine that it caught Tali off guard. Marhna did not seem to mind, instead, the look on her face was rather endearing. She seemed to have been very struck by the girl.

Tali unhinged her mouth... of course... it was her. The shopkeeper who owned a little kiosk down in the alleyway where John and her first met... where she learned of John's quiet insecurities about her loyalty to the fleet..

"Galina, dear. It's just Marhna. And I am just fine today, thank you." Marhna corrected the girl as she took her seat. She gestured towards the engineer and added. "This is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. She'll be joining me tod-."

"Galina'Voar nar Neema?" Tali interupted, her words surprising the oldest quarian. Before Tali coud cotinue, Galina swooped in and wrapped her arms around the frozen solid engineer.

"Tali, it's so wonderfu to see you again." She chirped as she let go of Tali.

"I thought you had a shop." Tali spoke to the pilgram quarian as she stepped back "Why work here?"

"My shop is growing by leaps and bounds thanks to Commander Shepard's endorsement," Galina almost gushed"I work a few hours whenever I can on weekends, use the money to help my shop."

Nodding, Tali took her seat, Galina turned back to Marhna, her body language tight once more. She seemed much more nervous, Tali observed, like she was fearful of Marhna. Hardly surprising, Marhna'Prince was rather... frightening at times. Even moreso if poor Galina knew just what Marhna had in mind for the poor girl.

"Um... Will Micheal and his sisters be joining you two?" Galina inquired, a question intended for her work, but undoubtedly had a second purpose with the strange tone in her voice. Marhna shook her head as she looked over the younger quarian, slightly impressed by her.

"No... But give me five minutes and he'll be down here." Marhna returned, her smile was light but her tone was as serious as her threats to the asari in Dark Star. Galina blinked blankly. Her demeanor became somehow even more nervous.

"You mean he hasn't told you..." She asked, trailing off. "I- Well.. He and I met several weeks ago."

Marhna's eyes narrowed, her teeth clenched tight, grinding together menacingly.

"Micheal... that little son of a..." Marhna growled to herself. Galina's eyes widened at the anger expressed. She looked away and focused on the much gentler eyes of Tali'Zorah, who had cocked her head to the side.

"How old are you, Galina? I cannot believe I never bothered to ask before." Tali asked Galina, warmly, smiling slightly behind her mask.

"Eighteen." Galina returned, slightly relieved that at least one of the quarians was not being hard. She looked over to see Marhna, her eyebrow raised. Quickly Galina added, "Micheal will be eighteen in two weeks, am I correct, Mrs. Prince?"

Marhna nodded kindly.

"Exactly, Galina." Marhna agreed, leaning back in her seat. "I fully expect to see you at his celebration. Since you're... _friends_ and all."

Marhna set the menu in her hands down and stared at Galina. Galina stared back, unable to break herself from her friend's mother's gaze. Tali watched in quiet awe as the stare broke the girl down into a sudden stuttering mess.

"Okay, OKAY. We're-we're seeing each other! Please don't hate me!" Galina blurted out frantically. "Michael told me n-not to tell you, until he could break the news gently because you would make fun of me and then tell his father, who is even worse then you apparently, and then you both would spend hour after hour interrogating me and then undoubtedly make fun of Michael over it. I don't want Micheal to be in trou-"

Marhna looked close to having a stroke. She held up her hand.

"Galina, we do that to the girls we don't like him being around." Marhna cut in, cutting the blabbering off. "For you, we'll make an exception." She smiled and added. "Now... can Tali and I get the my usual? You have to try it, Tali'Zorah."

Tali nodded as she tried not to burst out laughing, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks.

"Sounds... good." She managed to choke out. Galina typed the order down and looked up, her eyes full of relief.

"You... you don't plan on tormenting me?" She asked the Michael's mother guardedly.

Marhna bowed her head respectfully.

"Michael will be tormented for working you up into such a mess." Marhna assured the young adult. "You're safe, I promise."

Galina nodded and, with much less tension then before, left her fellow quarian to themselves as fast as she could without looking as though she had ran.

"It's probably too soon to be asking that poor girl about setting up a marriage date." Marhna breathed to Tali as Galina left to gather their order. Tali burst out laughing as though it was the funniest thing she had heard in a while.

"Keelah, she's eighteen, Marhna'Prince!" Tali cried out, leaning into her chair as she rubbed her face mask. Marhna merely smiled, her white, sharp teeth showing.

"A mother always has a plan in place, this you will learn." Marhna explained to the still giggling quarian. "My boy is marrying her and if not, well, at least he gets a taste in what a quarian girl is like. Once you get a taste…. there is no stopping."

They fell silent as they watched Galina, again approach the table, drinks in hand for the quarians. Marhna looked over to Tali.

"So... you had another fight, didn't you...?" She asked in all seriousness. Tali bowed her head and nodded listlessly.

"Yes... he accused me of me being with you." Tali murmured quietly and very much uncomfortable. "It was like he thought I.. like I was... Gay."

While she whispered the last part as though it were taboo, well, it was taboo amongst the fleet. Marhna merely barked out an amused laugh as she sipped the drink provided by the very efficient Galina who was in all likelihood, smiling politely to the mother of her new '_friend'._

"How did you introduce me?" She returned after murmuring a word of thanks up to her future daughter-in-law. Tali shrugged as she attached the canister of juice to her receptor."

"I said I was..." She paused, trailing off. Slowly she whispered, "seeing someone... Oh keelah. How stupid am I?"

Marhna's mere exhaled a laugh and gently reached over the table, patting Tali's hand in a motherly fashion.

"Not at all. David and I had these sorts of issues all the time when we first started seeing each other." She assured the younger woman. "So, it seems as though communication is your biggest issue at the moment, do you ever, you know, spend time together out of your suit, not being physical?"

Tali squirmed uncomfortably, her hand rubbing her forearm.

"Not really... but... that's more my problem the it is his." She confessed, feeling her face heat up significantly. "The moment I am capable of taking this helmet off I'm out of my suit and in his arms... it's.. it's..."

"An unshakable, insatiable addiction?" Marhna guessed sagely; "Yes I know."

They fell silent together; Marhna merely looked on Tali with a mild interest. Tali on the other hand, had her mind racing as a single question was slowly being formed in her brain; A question she willed herself not to ask out of respect to Marhna. It was a question that would be asked regardless.

"How are you out of your suit?"

Tali watched as Marhna's face contorted into a smile and then she laughed brightly, as though Tali had done something rather funny.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask, Tali'Zorah." The quarian club owner said, laughing gently to herself as she again sipped her drink. "Usually it takes a quarian about five minutes flat before they inquire how come I am this way."

The engineer did not reply. She hadn't asked because her father had taught her ever to as questions until the subject was approached. In this case, Tali's suppressed curiosity got the best of her.

"Tali, I have spent over 17 years practicing and blown hundreds of thousands of credits on it. I've sacarficed precious abilities to have it..." Marhna explained to the silent younger woman. "Being out of the suit in a foreign environment such as here is no easy feat. Besides, the business world does not take a suited quarian very seriously. By the time I was operating a lounge on my own, without David holding my hand, I had to adapt."

"What did you do to the suit?" She followed up, still very much curious.

Marhna shrugged causally and looked up to find Galina returning with a canister and plate in her hands.

"Once I could live without it, I sent it home for the reuse." She waved off as she accepted the plate from Galina, she looked back to Tali and added. "My sister was inevitably in need for it."

Tali's eyes widened significantly behind her face mask. Marhna had a sibling? It was nearly unheard of on the fleet. The last she remembered, the population needed to remain stable, there was no demand for second child births, not for nearly seventy years. Marhna smiled mischievously and looked over to Galina who was setting Tali's food paste down in front of her.

"Galina dear, would you care to take your break in our company?" Marhna requested politely from the attentive quarian server. "I mean, if it's possible. We can gossip about the _friend_ you made in my son. I will tell you all the uncomfortable secrets you ever want to use against him. Payback has a certain satisfaction to it."

The pilgrim took only a few seconds to nod at the request. Galina was clearly annoyed at just how worked up Marhna's son, Michael had got her over the issue of them.

"I think I can do that, Marhna'Prince." Galina returned, a smile in her voice as she crossed her arms. "I'll speak to my boss, I'm sure she'll let me."

As Galina disappeared from view, Tali looked up, finding her voice once more.

"Your sister?" She breathed uncertainly.

Marhna nodded casually as she swallowed a mouthful of what looked like a salad.

"Between sympathy for my abandonment of the fleet, my pilgramage gift being a freighter and a portion of my monthly income as donation gave the admiralty board... _incentives_ to allow my parents a second chance." Marhna explained, smiling to herself, "A failure like me could at the very least help my shamed parents out in one significant way. Quawe will be seventeen in a month. I have yet to meet her."

Marhna slowly exhaled and ran her long hands into her veil, gently pushing it off her head and allowing long, tendrillike hair braids to fall down onto her shoulders. Tali bowed her head and attempted to remain as unenviable as she could of the woman.

"I wonder what she will think of her human nieces and nephew." Tali returned finally, leaning into her seat. Marhna laughed humorlessly and shook her head.

"She's been raised to hate humans from what I heard." Marhna muttered bitterly, her lips curled at thought. "They feel my David is too blame for all of this mess undoubtedly. They're right, if it wasn't for him, I'd have ended up, a drone like my mother and father."

**...**

* * *

**...**

**Citadel Station: 2161 CE**

Marnha groaned as she loaded the dishwasher up yet again. She couldn't believe just how tired she was. Between the heavy drinking and her inability to sleep. She was lucky to have gotten to her shift on time two days later... Fel was right. Call them what you want, Humans knew how to throw a good party.

"Marhna, child?" A voice spoke up from the entrance of the kitchen. Marhna turned and leaned over, glancing the best she could without straining the last of her focusable mind. It was Xeuhana, she looked flustered as she wrapped her clawlike hands together. She nodded her head, gesturing for the quarian to join her.

"Yes Xeuhana?" She inquired as she stood close to the Sou chief, her hands on her hips.

"You've got a visitor out here demanding to see you." Xeuhana said, gesturing out towards the kitchen exit and entrance to the kitchen.

"Could you tell Kalia that I'll see her later? I need to keep working." Marhna requested as she turned back to go back to her station.

She stopped as she felt Xeuhana's hand fall gently onto her shoulder.

"That's admirable, but no, it's not your companions." Xeuhana clarified to the hungover quarian. "It's a human and some barefaced turian. New friends?"

Marhna tilted her head in a mild confusion at the question. No. She barely had Kalia and Fel as friends as it was why would she want or need new ones. She sighed and followed Xeuhana out of the kitchen tearing off her apron. As she scanned her eyes through the crowd she groaned, earning a sideways glance from Xeu.

It was _him._

There, sitting quietly with a turian next to him, was the human from the club, David Prince. He stood, allowing the quarian to observe him much better then she could in the ambient lightening of the club. Still well dressed, pale and semi well built. Like he cared what he looked like but wasn't particular nuts about it his brown eyes lit up as took a step closer towards the very guarded Marhna.

"Well, look at this, the prodigal daughters return. Oh how we missed you!" The human spoke loud enough to interrupt the surrounding tables meals and causing protesting grumble from the others.. "Come on, sit down and join us."

He gestured to a seat in between him and the turian woman, who was tapping her claws on the table idly. It was like she would have wanted to be anywhere else but here. Marhna glanced up to her boss, Xeuhana, who nodded receptively and looked over to the human. As Marhna remained standing along with David, his eyes clearly fixed onto the sous chef.

"You as well, miss. I mean... if you want too." He invited, his friendly wild voice replaced with a low, meaningful drag that caused Xeuhana to step back, a thrill of an alien speaking such ways to her catching her off guard and curious more than she'd probably ever care to admit to anyone.

"She's clearly married David. Stop acting like a varren in heat." The turian woman sitting next to Marhna finally spoke up with an annoyance that clearly spoke to Marhna that this behavior was not new. Xeuhana's gaze at David snapped and turned to the younger turian woman, her eyes hardened.

"No, it's quite alright... I'll get your... _bare faced companion_ anything she needs." She returned finally stressing the final words rather distastefully. "We don't, however, serve food for levo oriented people. I am truly sorry."

David raised his hand, shooing the disclaimer with a bright smile.

"Don't worry about the risk, miss. I'll have some of that foyura stuff turians harp on about." He ordered as he took his seat. "Also, get Miss "Attitude" something to eat as well." He added, glancing at Marhna and grinning at her. "She looks like she's permanently hungover."

There was a slight cough from Xeuhana, David looked away from Marhna and back towards the turian.

"Sir... You _really shouldn't_ eat turian food." Xeuhana reminded the human standing in her restaurant. David frowned slightly before suddenly grinning at her.

"If I go into shock, I am more than certain I'll be safe in your arms." He returned, smiling brightly for the cross armed turian woman. Marhna watched, amazed, as Xeuhana's arms fell to her side as she looked over the human with more thoughtfulness then before.

"Well... I was a medical staffer in the army..." Xeuhana mused thoughtfully as her mandible's flared slightly. "I suppose I could perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation... is your heart located center left in your chest?"

David nodded as he leaned forward. Ignoring the death stares of the turians notably al of them male) around him, he tilted his head and carefully grazed Xeuhana's cheek. He watched as she shifted her eyes and gasped at the unexpected affection displayed by the man from a completely different species.

"Miss...Just make sure you use the kiss of life and this human will have died a _very_ happy man." He breathed lowly to her, he smiled as he watched her nod blankly and stepped away from him. As she stumbled away, David sat down, smirking slightly to himself. Marhna could only stare at the human with the death wish.

"Carthia, this is that quarian I got ambushed by a couple nights ago, remember?" David introduced, gesturing to Marhna. "This is Carthia Acterax, my solicitor and laywer. She got me my license and fights tooth and nail to keep it."

Carthia grunted without an ounce of femininity as she lit a cigarette in her clawed hands and took a long drag.

"Yeah, hi." Carthia returned distractedly while exhaling the smoke and glaring at the retreating Xeuhana "Did you see the way she mentioned me, David? Fucking turians and their clan paint shit." The turian woman growled, spitting on the floor of the restaurant, a grievous sign of disrespect in the eyes of turian customs.

She turned back to David and narrowed her eyes, adding. "I get why you tease me, we've had a working relationship for a long while now. But why her?"

David shrugged idly as he too pulled a fresh cigarette out of the pack.

"To be honest, I don't know." He returned distracted as he lit his smoke. "I guess it's fun to get a rise out of a turian woman who doesn't expect it. They get all flustered and defensive and well... really turned on in some cases. They don't get hit on nearly enough... It's even more fun to watch a male's reaction. Prudes."

Marhna widened her eyes and blinked at the comment.

"You risk evisceration from her bastard husband for fun? Are you some sort of idiot?" Marhna blurted out, surprising the bickering turian and human with sheer amount of chastising in her voice.

Carthia barked out a laugh and gestured to the standing quarian and gazed up at her as though the quarian shared the same sentiment.

"I like this girl, David!" Carthia announced, her mandible flaps opened sightly into a grin for the defiant quarian. "I've spoken to her once now, and she can already see that behind your money and credits, you're nothing more than a moronic, barely evolved primate."

David snorted.

"Well are't you a fucking peach... well this moronic, barely primate pays your salary." David grumbled back to Carthia, trying not to grin so obviously. The turian woman snorted at the claim made by the club owner.

"Barely." She mumbled under her breath mutinously. The words earned a loud 'HA!' from David, once more disturbing the turians around him.

Marhna was losing her patience now. The banter may have been cute for the two of them, but they were cutting into her work. She had no time to be this man and woman's source of amusement. The sarcastic quarian jester was not what she wanted.

"What am I out here for exactly? Your amusement? Some silly joke?" Marhna snapped, cutting through the banter between the two of them. "If there is a urpose why you're interrupting my work, other then making you two smile, then get on with it, or I'm just going to walk away.

David looked to Carthia who looked shocked at the attitude the quarian possessed.

"No, I'm not here to joke." David returned crossing his leg and looking up towards her "I'm here because the thought of you working in this turian shithole is underneath you. Now, please, miss, will you sit down and join us?"

David gestured to the seat next to him. He did not speak anymore, he would not until the quarian took the seat. Marhna stared at the mute human briefly. Silently she took a seat and looked away.

"It's the only place that would hire me." Marhna spoke lamely, refusing to look at neither the turian nor the human. "I need to work. So unless you're offering me a job, then stop wasting my time."

"Well then, you're in luck that I'm here, Miss Fucking Charmer 'cause that's exactly what I'm here for." David snorted back, sneering at the quarian as he stubbed the cigarette out on the table top. Marhna crossed her arms and merely stared at the human.

"You're joking." She dismissed, rolling her eyes.

David shook his head curtly.

"No miss: I'm dead fucking serious when I talk about letting people into the Prince Enterprise." He denied, staring right back at her with the same intensity she held over him. "Now, stop being so fucking coy with me and tell me your goddamn name. I'm not the only one being a stubborn itdiot. You're not much better."

Marhna closed her eyes, slowly, she exhaled.

"Marhna... Marhna'Quaera" She admitted to the human, whose expression lightened at the admission of her full name to him.

"Marhna... sounds like an old woman's name." David mused, his voice egging Marhna into another fight. "Listen Mara. I need an assistant and you're the only choice I've found challenging enough... it makes it very appealing. I don't like weak personaities around me. They give me a bad fucking vibe."

Marha ignored the incorrect usage of her name. The job offer was most interesting. It reminded her of her time as an intern under Doctor Daro'Xen, working as a lab assistant and procurer of a variety of things required for such research that she did. Marhna paused her thinking as well as her serious contemplation of taking the offer. There had to have been a catch. Judging by the way he said it, David Prince had something in mind.

Marhna crossed her arms and glared. IT all suddenly made sense to her, the tempting job offer... the interest in her.

"Before you continue, No, I'm not going to have sex with you for this job." Marhna informed him, glaring at the human making the offer. David's expression was one of confusion. He looked over to Carthia who seemed to have been smirking at the topic.

"Oh, don't worry, Marhna. I don't sleep with employees." David promised the quarian woman, smiling politely; "I sleep with my partners, isn't that right Carthia?"

There was a sudden slam on the table, causing Marhna to jump in her seat. It was Carthia, she had slammed her head against the table in clear frustration at such a provocative question. Slowly, she dragged her head back up to face them, her face covered with the palms of her hands.

"It was just that one damn time, two years ago and only because my bastard brother was sleeping in the other room. Get over it." Carthia groaned out as she tried her best to ignore the grin on David's face. Marhna bowed her head. She did not want anything to do with this.

"_Come onnn_, _Carthia...you liked it._" David teased her mercilessly. "You were crying and moaning my name like it was going out of style."

Carthia rolled her small eyes.

"Not really. It was for show." The turian muttered, looking like she was thoroughly embarrassed to have been talking about this. "The high point was actually breakfast the next morning, remember how you told Barrinus how soft I was inside once you penetrated my hard external defenses?" Carthia started to chuckle fondly, adding. "By the spirits, I thought you were a dead man, or at least he would have had a stroke at the thought of his little sister being defiled by something as disgusting as a human."

David and Carthia started to laugh as they recalled the many reactions her brother had at breakfast the next game. Marhna remained silent, deciding the nostalgia amongst each other wasn't worth breaking quite yet.

"Anyways." David announced as he got himself back together. "I'm offering you a chance to be my employee, and trust me, even being my employee means you'll be doing better than making fifteen credits an hour and living in a fucking shithole for your pilgramage duration at the Citadel."

He leaned back idly.

"I can give you four times that in starting wage." He bluntly stated, smiling as he watched her hop once in her seat. "The benefits are outstanding and, if you're ambitious, which I can see it clearly, you are. It'll only get better."

Marhna, while hating her suit, was glad to have been wearing it. It hid the look of shock at the more then generous offer made by the human sitting next to her. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would get such an offer. Yet... if she was ambitious.. she'd get a better offer?

"Better? How?" Marhna blurted out, her curiosity getting the better of her. She did not notice that Xeuhana had come back, in her hands was David's inedible food.

"Thanks love." David spoke to Xeuhana, his hand grazing hers as he accepted the turian dessert. He dug his fork into the cake like food and swallowed a bite, wincing slightly. He coughed and looked back to Marhna.

"I can teach you the business while you're my assistant; you'll be less of an assistant and more of my protégé. which is what I'm really looking for." David spoke to her, turning from the retreating turian and back towards Marhna. "I can teach you how to operate, get zoning licenses, liquor licenses, deal with patrons, handling asari trust fund children, bitchy staff members, assholes who try to shut you down."

Ignoring the scowl Carthia had from barb against her, he reached over the table and took Marhna's forearm. On his lips was a thoughtful, charismatic smile.

"I can make you into something, Marhna." He spoke against, his confidence reigning supreme over any doubt Marhna had. "You'll stop being just any old quarian on the street and you'll start to be Marhna Quaera, respected business entrepreneur with more credits and opportunities on hand then any quarian prior to the goddamn geth."

"No more groveling to keep your job, no more abuse." He promised her, crossing his leg as he grabbed another cigarette from the half empty pack. "Just power you have and power waiting to be seized by you."

"Can you stop smoking, human? It's getting irritating." The voice of turian requested, breaking David's concentration. He turned away from a captivated Marhna and glared sharply at the turian in question.

"I'm a paying customer and your culture states that personal freedom is paramount to everything, so I'll do whatever the fuck I want to do, you hypocrite, second tier, reject." David challenged, his cigarette hanging off his lips as he called the turian out there and then turned away.

"And... as the credits rolls in, the more power you get to use over these local, backward fucks." David spoke to the speechless quarian "Hell, you and I in a few years, we could take a business venture to Palaven and shove our shit in their noses." He gleefully added. "Marhna'Quaera and David Prince: humiliating turian club ventures since 2163!"

Marhna could help herself. She smiled at the sheer enthusiasm in the human's voice as he spoke so charismatically about humiliating the turians. Marhna looked over to Carthia who caught her gaze. The turian woman sighed and shrugged.

"As offended as I should be by this _shocking_ display of spite against my race, I'm rather amused by his enthusiasm. It's rare to find." Carthia admitted to the quarian. David grinned and leaned over, wrapping his arm around Carthia's shoulder and gently shook her playfully.

"So, what do you think than, Mara?" David asked Marhna as Carthia pushed the human off of her. "Do you want to be a dishwasher the rest of your time here? Or do you want to make a name for yourself?"

Marhna idly tapped the table for a long while. Eventually she stopped. It did not take long forher to make a dicision.

"I suppose I should inform Xeuhana that I must quit." Marhna spoke, finally looking up to David. David's face lit up and then slapped his hands together in a show of enthusiasm. Carthia rolled her eyes but remained silent.

"Miss!" David called out, catching Xeuhana's attention immediately. Xeu looked up and wandered towards them, causing Marhna to duck her head. How could she do this, say that she quit... She never quit anything before! The issue, however, did not faze David. As soon as Xeuhana reached the table, he gestured to Marhna as though she had something to tell her.

As she felt Xeu's eyes fall on her, Marhna sighed: It was now or never.

"Xeuhana, thank you for convincing your husband to hire me." Marhna started, shifting nervously as she attempted to get her point across. "I... I just."

Xeuhana's clawed hand fell onto Marhna's shoulder. It was a motherlike embrace that immediately put the quarian at ease. Xeuhana understood exactly what was going on.

"I understand, Marhna'Quaera. Follow what you feel is best for you." Xeuhana returned kindly, "I would sooner have you working for an employer who respects you then an employer who uses you and treats you in a way that is unacceptable."

Marhna nodded her head and looked around at the cafe.

"You can keep my final paycheck;" Marhna spoke up, earning a surprised tilt of her head from Xeuhana. "From what I heard of this place, you can you all the credits you can keep. You really ought to start catering to other species like Mister Prince."

David chuckled and smiled brightly to the turian chef.

"We'll take good care of her, mis-. "

Xeuhana leaned inwards her mandibles catching David wide eyed and off guard as he felt her mouth latched onto his tightly. Marhna and Carthia both went wide eyed just as David had done. The two watched as Xeuhana's hands snaked around David as she attacked him more frantically. Slowly, she felt the fine contours of David's body and pulled away from the stunned man.

"My husband has been insufferable about your species lately... This will be an _adequate_ retribution." Xeuhana spoke, leaning in to kiss the side of David's lips once more. Then it was over. Xeuhana let go of the petrified human, still in shock by her. With a smirk for the human, Xeuhana left back towards the kitchen, a spring in her step.

David wiped his mouth, coated in turian saliva and looked back to Marhna and Carthia still stunned. One shocked, the other smirking that the primate finally got burnt after playing with fire.

"Jesus, no more teasing turians for awhile." He decided aloud, earning an uncharacteristic giggle from Carthia. He shook his head and looked up to Marhna adding. "Where do you live, Marhna? Take the day off and I'll send a driver to pick you up tomorrow."

Marhna winced at the question.

"Down at the.. well... down in the shelters." She carefully admitted to the human. David narrowed his eyes as though it were a bad joke. As he came to realize there was nothing humorous meant in her arrangement, slowly he groaned to himself, hand pressing against his face.

"The shelters... you have a regular salary and yet you live at the fucking shelters?" Was David's distasteful response to hearing Marhna's living conditions. He sighed as he rolled his eyes wearily. "Come on, let's go. We'll go find you a nice home to lease, my employee's live in nice homes, Marhna, not the fucking shelters. Is that understood Marhna?"

"But my friends." Marhna protested. David merely waved dismissively at Marhna's concerns about leaving her friends.

"It's a good day to be a leech then," David returned distractedly as he wandered towards the exit. "Come along my pretties, our day has just begun!"

Marhna merely stood there, her thoughts focusing on her two friends. They would be certainly in for a surprise once she had returned with David Prince by her side. It was hard to believe that this was happening. It was as though everything she had to go through before was finally starting to pay off. She now had an employer who seemed genuine in his respect for her. Sure he was a drug addict Xenophile. But it was better than anything here... Better, perhaps, then what she would ever have on the fleet once she went back...

"Hey there, Marhna?" Carthia interrupted her thoughts, her hand falling onto Marhna's shoulder. Marhna turned to the turian woman glancing over Marhna's shoulder's, making sure that David was well out of sight.

"If you do ever reach the point where you have sex with him... Don't listen to what I said; it was actually pretty decent. To the point where... I.. didn't have to fake it. I mean.. I told him I faked it... but." She admitted to Marhna, her mandibles smirking slightly. She coughed and added. "If you ever breathe a word of that back to that smug primate, I will deny it and gut you like a fish. Understood?"

As Marhna felt her skin heat up at the advice. Marhna nodded in concurrence with the slightly older turian woman observing her. No, she planned never to sleep with such a man like David Prince. Carthia nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, leading her towards the exit where David stood, looking impatient at the delay.

"Welcome to the team, Marhna." Carthia welcomed, her tone bright as she thought about better than expected sex. "I think we all will get along just fine."


	3. The Dreadful Return of David Prince

**Chapter Three: The Dreadful Return of David Prince.**

**...**

David was coming home. Marhna was much more excited then she'd ever care to admit.

The relationship shared between husband and wife was not much different than the first day that they met. It was still a mixture of defiance and teasing. Most of all, making life barely tolerable at times. It was mostly out of good humor, both David and her were happy though. Somehow, the odds went into their favor and together they built a life that was workable for both of them, to the point where adoption, and in Laura's case, surrogacy, expanding the union shared between them became necessary.

Marhna looked on her three children: Micheal, Alexandra and little Laura proudly. Despite her muttering and pestering and small annoyances, she believed she did very well with her children. They were mostly well adjusted, mostly. She watched silently as they quietly conversed with Galina, whom was sitting close to Micheal's side, their sides touching as though she worried of even being here, sitting in the same room as Micheal with his mother. How very terrifying for the poor shop owner.

At the moment, Galina wasn't terrified by Marhna, however. It was Alexandra Marhna Prince, playing devil's advocate on her behalf. As David always said, somehow, Alexandra had inherited her mother's attitude the moment puberty struck the girl. At fifteen, she was smart, she was cold and most certainly she did not like people. Notably, whenever Micheal brought home the girlfriend of the month. Not without good reason, either. Micheal was prone to brining home airheads

"Anyone home?"

Laura's eyes went wide as she flew out of her seat and dodged her mother's sudden reach out to keep her calm. Alexandra looked away from Galina, and closed the paper bound novel, a gift from her pseudo sister, Kasumi Goto.

"We'll finish this later, Galina." The teen informed the quarian and the clearly annoyed brother.

"DADDY!" Laura screamed back, irritating Alexandra into a shudder. The little child scampered out of the kitchen and charged down towards the source of the voice. There was an audible groan.

"Dammit!" was the returned cry, annoyed at the not being allowed some peace before meeting his family. Galina giggled at the annoyed father, and she too widened her eyes, this time from the pointed glare from the middle child.

"ARRRRGH, my princess got me... NoooOooOoooOoo!" The voice gargled loudly, as though he was drowning in his own blood.

Marhna smirked at Galina and set down her fellow quarian's fresh canister of wine in front of her, she stood up and followed the excited cries of her baby and feigned pained cries of her husband, closely followed by Alexandra, who looked equally as bemused and covertly excited at the voice of someone so familiar back in their lives. There on the floor under the weight of a dominating four year old, laid David Prince, grinning and attempting to break out from under the force he was held.

"Mommy, help! I've been attacked by a rampaging daughter!" He called out, looking over to Marhna and smiling vividly. Marhna crossed her arms and simply glared back at him. Alexandra followed her mother's lead.

"I ordered Laura's attack you silly, old man. We're mad you took off for so long." She returned, earning screams of 'Yeah, YEAH!' from Laura who was now hitting David's shoulder with her small fists.

David cried out and sat up, gripping Laura by her forearms and bit them harmlessly, earning a giggle and a "Stooop it!" from the girl. With a slap on Laura bum, David let her escape his merciless tortures and stood up properly, attempting to straighten out his suit.

"Daddy, I miss you!" The child complained, clutching onto his leg tight in order to make sure he did not leave her ever again. David merely smiled and kissed the top of her head. He looked up and met Alexandra's eye.

"Alexandra Marhna, how come you don't greet your old dad like that anymore?" David spoke up wandering over to grab his second oldest into a hug. "I remember when you'd be bouncing everywhere!"

"I'm not a riddlin mental case like Laura here, Daddy. I did miss you though." Alexandra returned, smiling as she felt a chaste kiss on her forehead. David pulled back and inspected his daughter. He looked up past her and too Marhna with a look of disbelieving on his face.

"Marhna, can you tell me why you're dressing our Alexandra up like she's eeeasy?" He demanded to know, his voice cross. Alexandra looked down at her relatively conservative look, a dark hoodie, sweatpants and a tank top and looked up to her father outraged at the claim. Before she could answer the charge, David held his hand up.

"Alexandra, if you're not wearing a burqa, then I'm going to consider it you being easier than an asari trustfund whore. I'm sorry, that's just the way it stands." He returned to his offended daughter "Now go take your sister, Momma and I need to chat."

Alexandra shot her dad a withering stare, one that she had most certainly learned from her mother. She turned her attention down to her sister and took Laura's hand, leading them back towards the kitchen, all the while muttering something demeaning about David under her breath the whole way.

As their daughters disappeared from plain sight, both Marhna and David approached each other. Slowly, arms from each species wrapped around the other and leaned in for a long awaited affection that was two weeks in the making. The quarian leaned in and, with her nose, nuzzled the humans. As he leaned into connect both them by the lips, Marhna pulled herself back, away from David's, leaving the human confused and cross looking.

"Well... did you get it?" She asked of him, her eyes hooded and tone seductively dragging the single word.

"Oh you fucking tease." David hissed, glaring at his own personal quarian sex goddess hard. Marhna smirked and looked away, gently trying to untangle herself from his arms only to have him pull her in tighter.

"Okay, Okay. They're considering it." David blurted out, his hands falling down her body. "Now hike up that dress and we'll make this hallway shake."

They kissed slowly, carefully as David gently pressed her against the wall of the hallway, his hands pushing themselves inside of her dress, her thighs becoming the focal point of his attention. Marhna breathed heavily as she felt the hands on her thighs slid upwards.I t was way too long since this last happened. With a nip on his lip, Marhna pulled back once again. This time much, much more reluctantly.

"We can't, love. We have a visitor." Marhna returned coyly, pulling away but nonetheless, gripped onto his jacket tightly as she took in just where his hand was resting. David smirked and playfully sighed dragging his hand from out of Marhna's dress slowly, with enthusiastic touches over fabric he could drag along.

"Lemme guess," David mused feigning a thoughtful look. "Man whore brought back the latest airhead. What's her name this time? Kandi spelled with a heart instead of a dot?"

Marhna shook her head and looked up to him, her smile widening into a grin. David's eyes widened, looking for confirmation. Slowly, Marhna silently nodded her head.

_"No fucking way." _David breathed, gripping her hips."Oh my god, Marhna. Be good, don't scare her away now."

Marhna snorted undignified and slapped his chest.

"She's scared more of the fearsome David Prince!" She teased the human. "Micheal told her a horror story about you. Besides, I've invited Mai for dinner, she's bringing a guest." Marhna added, taking David's hands and leading her husband back to the kitchen. "Admiral Rael'Zorah's daughter."

David raised an eyebrow at the mention of the admiral who not only accepted her exile, but publicly trashed her image along with the rest of the intrepid admiralty board.

"And I give a fuck now about Rael'Zorah and his brood, why?" He asked of her curiously. Marhna chuckled and shrugged, her eyes heavily lidded as she leaned into press her thin lips against his neck. Kissing the teeth scars wrapped around his neck.

"Because he's now officially a dead man and somehow, he managed to produce a decent daughter." Marhna returned, her hand reaching over and straightening out his tie for him. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy is a fine young woman. A bit too much like her father, but it's forgivable and she has an excellent taste in men."

Marhna patted David's cheek playfully watching as his had bobbed back and forth, as if debating something to himself. Marhna sighed, it never ended. She just knew, his blood would be spilled by her hands.

"Nice to see you found your replacement for me. Saved me a hell of a lot of effort." David teased as if on cue, poking her stomach and kissing her cheek before she could push him away and shriek in sheer rage.

"Micheal my boy!" David cried out, sidestepping and ducking Marhna's angry fists. He wandered at a jogging pace down the hallway and entered the kitchen, Finding Micheal staring at his father with a look of foreboding. He smirked at the sight of the quarian, sitting so close she might as well be sitting in his lap.

"So..." He announced, messing up Laura hair as he felt her reconnect to his leg. "Will you be introducing your lass? Or do I have to ask myself."

Micheal looked between his leering father and a squirming Galina sitting next to him, who looked uncomfortable under the direct stare from his dad. Micheal reached out and took Galina's hand from under the table, earning a surprised gasp and a look from her.

"Dad... This is Galina." Micheal introduced, smiling slightly as he looked back at the quarian girl next to him nervously.. "She's on her Pilgrimage."

"So I assumed. I know all about pilgrimage's," David boasted, gesturing to Marhna. "Mother Marhna here spent a year angsting over what to get them."

He paused cleared his throat.

_"Oh, it just has it be perfect David, or else they'll make me scrub toilets._ Teehee!" He managed to imitated Marhna's voice. Marhna scowled at her husband and pushed past him, hitting his shoulder hard as she leaned down to abduct a clinging Laura from off of him. David winced but ignored it.

"Hello sir." Galina returned, more formal then needed. "Micheal has told me a bit about you."

David nodded and took a seat at the table next to a silently fuming quarian wife. She stared hard at him quickly caught his lips into a kiss before she stood back up and wandered into the kitchen, clutching her glass of asari made turian wine in her hands tightly.

"From what I hear from Marhna, mostly bad." Marhna heard David return, as he shrugged to tug off his jacket and yanking off his skinny tie. "Well, I'm generally a nice guy. I promise."

Marhna bowed her head and turned to focus on the dinner she was cooking. Galina wasn't in luck, David was going to be relentless to the poor girl.

...

* * *

...

Kasumi knocked on the door harder, ignoring the scene she was making in front of her friend, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, whom stood next to anxious as always, the two bottles of wine and box of dessert cake shifting in her hands nervously.

They had just received a message from an exasperated Marhna'Prince. Her husband, David was home and stirring shit up as usual. Playing fighting with his daughter, Laura, teasing his other daughter and Micheal, playfully harassing a bubbly Galina into submission and a near panic attack when he asked her if Micheal and her linked suit environments yet.

David Prince was home. Tali wasn't sure if she was honestly ready to meet the man that managed to corrupt a quarian into his... _lifestyle._

"I thought I had said no Jehovah Witnesses!" a masculine voice hollered from the other side of the door. "You take one pamphlet when you're a teen and they follow you everywhere!"

The door opened up and revealed a bespectacled man. His face in a vivid grin as he met the excited expression on the Japanese girl's face.

"DAVVVIEEE." Kasumi squealed excitedly, throwing herself up into David's arms and hugging him as though it was the last thing she's ever get to do. David yelped and returned the affection displayed.

"Oh god.. worse than a Jehovah Witness. It's Kasumi." He told her as if stating fact, his tone dead serious. Again Kasumi laughed with him, leaving the confused quarian in the dust. He sighed happily and gestured to her.

"And this must be Tali with a fine taste in men. Marhna's words, not mine." He greeted her, offering his hand to shake. Tali shook and ignored the heat in her face thanks to the reference.

"Marhna has told me a bit about you." Tali admitted, her voice much more sly then she admitted. "Your exploits with your solicitor for one."

"You mean Carthia?" David chuckled, his eyebrows rising on his head. "You think you're ready for the full details, then?"

Kasumi raised her hand up excitedly, ignoring the silent pleas and polite shakes of Tali's helmet, who honestly did not want to know anything other then what Marhna had told her a few days prior. The thought of him making love to a turian... well.. it wasn't something she wanted to hear of.

"I've been waiting to hear this story for this story to be told for seven years, Tali'Zorah." Kasumi all but whined to the quarian next to her. "You're soooo not ruining this for me."

**...**

* * *

**...**

**Citadel Station: 2159CE**

"I welcomed you into my home and you question my motives? He was and is a well paying client, better paying then any turian I've done litigation for. So what if I got his club up and running? Why should humans be banned from running a business on a Citadel that they belong to now?"

"You're too eager to please this fool, you don't even wear your clan paint anymore. You disregard your family name, you are no better than the barefaced."

"I see...because I don't want my family name to get in the way of my work, I'm branded a traitor. You would see that David is a good man if you put your bias to one side, Now because I consider him my friend, that is shameful to our family to you?"

A friend? David Prince stretched his bones outwards and chuckled as he finished getting out of his suit. Yes, Carthia Acterax was a new friend rather than a simple solicitor she originally was. She was such a good friend that she interrupted their celebration of the opening of the Aultra by making him join her for an awkward dinner with her brother, Bar-something or another. It did not matter the name, he was a soldier type. Did his duties and got his ass handed to him in the First Contact War.

For an hour and a half straight David and her listened as he went on and on about how humans had no right to join the galactic stage, how barbaric the human defenders of Shanxi were. How impossible it was for a race of monkey's to ascend to the galactic spotlight and became darlings of the council. While David could take it all in good stride, Carthia did not.

As Bar something or another continued to drink and drink he got more and more incensed, calling his sister a race traitor for helping him. That was when David lost his cool. He could take any insult the son of a bitch could throw at him, it was when Carthia became a target, shit hit the fan. Fortunately Carthia kept her temper in check. That was until Bar something or another spat on the floor and called her _barefaced_.

With that said, the gloves were off. Carthia had smacked her brother so hard it dazed the much larger turian. She immediately ordered David into spending some fun time sitting alone in her bedroom, where now he waited for the screaming match between brother and sister to die down enough so he could leave and slink back to the party he was missing out on. Perhaps even drag Carthia back there as well. Get her drunk and help her forget that this family encounter ever occurred.

But no. That wasn't in the plan. Carthia had entered the room, and politely told him he was to be spending the night, so he was not to go anywhere. That he would be using her room because her brother had commandeered the guest room. As much as he questioned it, she told him it was a sign of honor and respect for a turian to give their own room to a guest, and to refuse could cause a scene. David, being raised to adhere to others, accepted the offer.

So... all in all, no party for him: Mother Carthia had spoken the final word on the subject.

David sighed as he looked around the room curiously. It was not as... organized, as he imagined it to be none of the military discipline she exuded when she went toe to toe with the fucker, Dawarx in the zoning offices. Instead the room was cluttered and...well... _girly_. For a turian at least.

He wandered over to the table in the corner, on it was a holo. He grabbed it and examined the picture. It was of Carthia and what he assumed was her family. It wasn't that much different than a human family gathering, except there was much, much more facepaint involved.

He smiled faintly and set the picture down and turned away. His mind wandered back to his own family, his mother and father, his siblings. Family he had not seen in the past three years. Not since the last goodbye.

"All I'm telling you, Carthia, this creature..human isn't at your level of status, You're a daughter of wealth, of influence. Quit this profession and go back to Palaven with some shred of pride you have left."

There was no reply from Carthia. Instead the sound of footsteps marching away from her brother and his voice crying for her return to finish this conversation. David ran a hand through his dark hair and leaned back, digging into his freshly folded suit for a lighter and his smokes. There was a knock on the door as he found them.

"Come in." He called to the woman outside his door. The door opened and in stormed Carthia, slamming the door behind her as she pressed her back against it. Her head was bowed as she glared at the floor. With a heavy exhale, she looked up and met David's empathic look.

"Hey." She muttered to the human, sounding grumpy from the fresh insult her brother laid on her. "I am just making sure you're comfortable."

David nodded as he tapped the box of cigarettes against his bare knee. He looked her over, gone was her evening wear, and exchanged for them was her night robes. She was ready to go to bed and forget this day ever happened.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Carthia nodded and turned away as though ready to leave. She paused and turned her head back to him.

"You overheard the argument, didn't you?" She inquired of him.

David grimly smiled and nodded, his hand patted the bed next to him. Carthia appeared to debate the offer, but accepted, she wandered over and took a seat on the bed. She shook her head politely as David offered her a cigarette.

"I'm sorrt, David. My brother, a traditionalist to the core." She explained as David threw the smokes on the floor. "If another species causes our species trouble, they're an enemy. It's not up for any debate, nor is it time to reexamine the kind of people we are. It just is. End of story."

"Well, it reflects on your people." David admitted, earning a soft sigh from Carthia. He smiled and added. "But... definitely not you. You've been good to me. More then what I can say for others."

Carthia tilted her head slightly and watched his expression for any sign of dishonesty. There was none. David wasn't exaggerating, nor was he flat out lying. Carthia was the first turian who ever showed him an ounce of kindness or respect.

"Thank you." She murmured softly back to the human. David suddenly chuckled and placed his arm around her shoulders, shaking her friendly.

"Personally, I think you're a lousy turian." He admitted to her, earning a sudden turian smile and a chuckle. He shrugged. "It works for me, I haven't had much luck with your people's 'proper turians'."

Together both Carthia and David laughed. Yes, Carthia was from a strict wealth oriented upbringing, much to her families surprise. Having her slum with aliens like David instead of being a baby making machine for another turian was not appealing to them. Carthia was the very definition of an odd turian.

As the laughter died, Carthia looked away from David and to the arm that was wrapped around her shoulders. She exhaled in a sudden annoyance.

"David, your arm is around me. Again." Carthia pointed out to the human. David chuckled lamely and nodded, pulling his arm up. Before he could, he was stopped by the turian woman.

"No, please don't stop... it's very... _nice_." Carthia returned. She frowned and gripped the arm, touching the smooth texture of his arm like it was glass. "It's so soft, and firm. How that combination is made, is beyond me. So much like an asari."

David looked her over and shuffled closer to her, wrapping the arm around the turian woman closer. Carefully, he tugged her backwards, pressing both backs against the bare wall behind her. David watched her through the minimum light in the room, her eyes, usually businesslike and shrewd, seemed so... soft.

He felt her clawed hand slink down and wrapped around his waist. Her eyes still ever watchful. It was as if she was nervous, worried perhaps of a sudden realization of what David was doing.

"Experience with our mindsexing blue friends?" He asked her, a smile returning to his face as he gently teased Carthia. Carthia huffed but did not move away, instead she moved closer, burying her head against David thinly clothed chest. She smirked as she looked down and closed her eyes as she felt David's free hand softly grazed the ridge of her head.

"You wish." Carthia returned haughtily as both arms fell around her waist and clutched onto her body tightly.

She looked upwards and met the watchful smile the human had splashed across his face. Neither of them knew what had started it, who made the first move. Together, both Carthia's mandibles and David's lips silently connected against each other in a slow, dragging kiss. Carthia exhaled through her nose as she felt David's hands high on her back slid downwards and rested tightly on her hip, unconsciously grinding them into his.

David broke the kiss and looked her over with the shock looked equally shared by Carthia. They both together, slid from their resting place up against the wall and in to the comfort of the bed. Dragging slowly, turian and human talons and hands explored one another as their foreheads touched while they inhaled and exhaled in rhythm. Slowly they chuckled at the absurdity of the situation the club owner and the solicitor found themselves in.

"That was... interesting." Carthia breathed, her mandibles opening into a grin. "You're not allergic are you?"

She closed her eyes and sighed as she felt David lean in and pressed his lips tightly against her neck. His hand moved upwards and cupped what chest she had. Once more, her hip unconsciously bucked up against his.

"Mildly. I could care less." He admitted to the turian as he sat up slightly to stroke the side of Carthia's face.

He leaned in once more and caught her mouth with his, the kiss shared between both species intensified from the first one. Their tongues touched one another as Carthia's mandibles latched around David's mouth, pushing him back onto the bed. Her hands lashed out, gripping David's forearms and pinned them over his head as she crawled on top of the human.

They broke the kiss again as Carthia pulled herself off David. She moved slowly to the door. David sat up, confused. Was she leaving already?

"I-I hope you're not leaving now... I mean..I'm not sure what this is, but, I'm more than willing to explore this more, Carthia." David called out to her as she reached the door. "Am I right to think like this?"

Carthia, however, did not leave like David had expected her to. Instead she pulled open the robes hanging loosely off her body and hung it on the door, leaving her nightwear only, a simple pink corset like piece that pushed the turian's chest upwards. Carthia turned back and stepped towards him. Gone were the nerves of a sudden rejection and in her now a strong confidant predator approach towards her much softer prey.

"Asari made, brand new, what do think?" Carthia murmured lowly, informing him while stroking her chest slowly. "Made for a turian woman with what little they had in the breast department."

David chuckled weakly and coughed. The allergenic reaction of what felt like half a glass of turian saliva clogged in his throat, blocking him up.

"You bought it for me?" David rasped slightly. Carthia pouted slightly, but nodded nonetheless.

"I plan ahead when the slightest possibility presents itself, David..." Carthia returned smirking as she stopped in front of him. She reached out and took a hold of David's hands.

"This possibility came when I caught you checking me out." She cooed, seductively, "Checking out my firm hips." She ran David's hands over them. "What mammals deem as breasts." Carthia's grip pulled the hands over the gently sloping arches of what appeared to be breasts. She tilted her head, adding. "I got the feeling something was on your mind; funny thing is, it was there on my mind as well."

She let go of the human's hands, letting them fall to their master's sides. Instead she reached up and grazed his soft round chin.

"I imagine you never expected this when you became my client." Carthia breathed out. Before David could reply, she launched herself on top of the human, her mandible latched on tightly against his face David could taste the metal as her tongue slid inside his mouth, tasting his tongue frantically.

With a long hard tug, David found himself out of his t-shirt, it thrown away to the far side of the room. Carthia chuckled as she observed the human and again leaned in, her tongue running over his nipple in a slow circular fashion, he was vaguely aware that her hands continued to press tightly against his torso but traveled lower and lower.

He gasped as he felt her cup him. She hissed slightly and loosened her talon as she rubbed him through his boxers. She looked up as she felt him harden significantly, her mandibles flaring into a wide smirk as her hands let go and slipped around the waist band of his boxers, tugging them off to join his shirt.

He relaxed himself as much as he could. The fact that a turian women was being permitted to fondle him was still new. He needed some time to get use to that. He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly as he felt kiss after kiss from Carthia was planted on his body, the direction lower and lower until a long drag of a rough tongue overwhelmed his nerves, forcing his eyes wide open.

He looked down to find Carthia in his lap, her eyes staring at his genitalia with an immense curiosity. She broke her impressed stare to look upwards and seemed to have bit on her lower mandible, revealing a row of rather sharp looking razor teeth.

David sighed. Turian or not, he was not one to turn away a potentially decent blowjob.

"Please... I'm begging you. just...watch your teeth." He whispered to the woman. Carthia smiled slightly as she detected the tone of nervousness in the human's voice.

"Trust me, David. I'll be gentle..." She promised him gently. "I'll need you inside me sooner than you think..just... relax."

David's hand was squeezed by the Carthia, Slowly, he exhaled and relaxed his muscles the best he could. He exhaled sharply, nervously, as he felt Carthia's mouth slowly lower itself, enveloping him completely. Once more when he felt that he would not lose it, he closed his eyes as he felt Carthia bobbing in his lap. Her tongue, rough, her teeth, sharp was a strange combination to be doing what they were doing... Actually turning him on.

Nervously, David's hands latched around the turian woman's head. They pushed downwards, forcing himself deeper. She groaned but listened to the gesture. She looked up at his expression of being completely turned on and turned her eyes backwards to her task. Inwardly she smirked as she felt David's hands unconsciously reach for her chest, looking for something to fondle, to return the unexpected amount of pleasure presented to him.

His eyes widened suddenly, his hands gripping her shoulders as he groaned unexpectedly. Carthia's tongue slide against him, dragging slowly. It was too much, he squinted and lost his control over his body. Carthia's eyes widened and pulled her mouth off of him and looked up in shock, driblets of him rolling down the side of her mandible, which she quickly wiped.

She mumbled a chuckle and leaned in closer to him. David smiled guilty to the turian woman with her mouth full. He faintly felt one of her hands, moving once more over his genitals..

"Shouldn't you spi..."

David watched as Carthia ignored his concerns and swallowed slowly, her eyes staring deeply into his. She exhaled and hacked violently, falling into David's concerns arms. Slowly, she felt his hands rub her back in long tender circles. She laughed weakly at the situation, she was immediately joined by David, who leaned in and nibbled on flesh exposed by the corset piece.

"Oh... by the Spirits" Carthia groaned, pulling herself out of David's embrace and standing back up, "I... Well, I shouldn't have done that..."

She wandered over to the side table and tugged it open quickly she rummaged though it before muttering _"Found it."_ She turned back to David and crawled into the bed, straddling his naked body.

"Open wide, David." She commanded, as she opened the bottle and sipped from it. She swirled the fluid in her mouth and swallowed it. David bit his lip as he watched Carthia curiously. She looked down at him and stroked his cheek with her long hand.

"An asari concoction I was researching." She explained to him as she gently opened her lovers mouth. "It reduces the swelling we have going on, helps us... appreciate our difference properly without major adverse reaction. Later tonight... when I go down on you again... I'll be a bit more...ready.. for the reaction."

David opened his mouth half listening to the order the half in shock at her guarantee made. Carthia dripped the asari fluid like rain drops into his mouth playfully. She giggled unexpectedly as she tossed the bottle while watching David's expression tighten up into a look of sourness. The fluid was like sucking on a combination of lemon juice and Kool Aid dry powder.

"Outfits, anti-allergenic..." David teased her, as he swallowed the tangy substance. "This really must have been on your mind for a while. I did not think I'd be appealing to you."

Carthia huffed and leaned in slowly kissing the edge of her human lover's mouth.

"Yes, you kinda are...you obviously have never seen, nor wondered what it is like to be with a turian man as a mate." She returned, lowering her head down to nuzzle into the naked David's chest. "They... dominate everything. It may seem like everything is limitless, but its still somewhat a male centric society. Sure, we are allowed vast freedom, but, in matters between the sexes, a male's decision is final."

She sighed and fell silent as she listened closely to the alien sounding off beat thump of David's heart. Again she kissed his flesh, red and bumpy from the incompatible alien fluids lightly coating him.

"In this case, my brother comes on behalf of my father to intimidate me into coming back to Palaven. They want me to abandon this sort of life I have built all on my own." She snorted to herself and looked up at him disbelievingly. "Too young they claim, Spirits, I'm twenty two."

She chuckled humorlessly, her mandibles fluttered open to show off an expression of uncertainty.

"With you at least... It's like I'm... I don't know." Carthia trailed off. "Equal, in every decision you present to me, a real partnership can happen here with you." She admitted, reaching out and taking his hands and squeezing them. "I have seen feminists of your species. Until they witness a turian barely concealed male dominated society, they have no clue how lucky they have i-"

Before she could press on, David lowered his lips down and pressed them against Carthia's, silencing her ranting, if only for a moment. He pulled back and tilted his head, smirking slightly.

"Do you really want to talk about gender inequality now?" He asked her. Carthia narrowed her eyes and turned away from him, her back pressed against his chest.

"Listen primate, I'm trying to make a point!" She nearly cried out in frustration. She growled to herself softly as she felt arms loop around her. She huffed and carefully, she added. "You're... You are different man then I'm use to. And... ahh... forget it...umm... what exactly are your hands doing?"

Carthia fell silent as she watched as many fingers slid down her thorax and over the simple matching pink undergarment she was wearing. She widened her eyes as David's hand slid into them, exploring, one of the human core values. She exhaled hard and shuddered as his hand found exactly what it was looking for and, without a hesitation, fingers pushed inside of her.

"I-I suppose the primate needs to check... If- if there is something inside my underwear to dominate." She breathed unsteadily, arching her flexible back in him. David chuckled lowly as he continued to push several finger back and forth, earning an erratic inhale and exhale.

"Can honestly say, I've never had foreplay before." Carthia admitted as she pushed back on his fingers. "Thrust, repeat and next to no female participation is the name of the game for a good turian male." She added before groaning out, "Oh spirits, David...f-fingers grind up."

David obliged as he bit her neck, grinding his teeth against roughly where humans were sensitive in their neck.

"My condolences on the lack of fun sex..." He breathed in between nibbles on her neck. His free hand reached up and dug deeply into the corset, unconsciously looking for breasts she really didn't have to fondle.

She did not reply as her hands reached out and started to untangle the garments she still wore off her body to join the pile of clothing.

"Undress the rest of me. I-I need you to touch me." Carthia managed to stammer as she felt a rolling orgasmic wave overwhelm her ability to speak coherently. With one hand still busy pushing against her moist mound of excited sex, David's free hand struggled to untie the pink corset like bed wear.

Carthia reached down and took the hand attached to the fingers grinding deep in her and pulled it, earning an excited shudder, she pulled the hand with moist fingers back and forced it in front of David, whose struggle with the nightwear ended in victory. He looked up triumphant and sound his wet fingers looking at him. Carthia smirked.

"Your turn, David, slowly. This I want to see." She coyly breathed, her eyes half open as she watched him. David nodded blankly and looked at his fingers, coated in translucent fluid; He smiled briefly and slowly, licked. David's eyes widened and, like Carthia had before him, he hacked as he swallowed the foreign substance, though far less intense then she had. Carthia laughed to herself as she turned her petite body around to face him properly.

She pulled the outfit off her body leaving her as naked as he was. David lipped formed a pleasant half smile as he took in the strangely mesmerizing sight of Carthia sitting in his lap her skin healthy light brown. Hard, but surprisingly sensitive to his touch.

She was... Well she was beautiful David was surprised to have to admit. Sure, she was so much more alien, but he was just as strange as she was. She was probably quietly curious about why in the hell did males have nipples that served no real purpose. He watched her quietly, a bemused look on her face as she noticed his amount of attention on her. Thoughts formed into words just begging to be breathed to her.

His hand reached up and grazed the side of her face. He watched her close her eyes and flutter her mandibles outwards excitedly.

"Carthia... You're beautiful... Did you know that?" David whispered to her, his voice dry as he noticed her open her eyes at the comment. Carthia studied him carefully and slowly, she nodded.

"Honestly? Yes." She admitted, trying not to sound vain by her words.

David laughed, his face blushing slightly as he buried his face way into her chest. Giggling slightly at the remark she made still, Carthia sighed and ran her hands through the strange texture of the human's head of hair, her chin nuzzling his forehead.

"But..." She breathed back to him, her hands touching the back of his head as she felt his dull teeth grinding slowly against her chest. "I mean... it-it means... So much more... having it come from you."

Carthia rewrapped her arms tightly against his body and leaned down, catching David's lips and kissing him hard.

She retracted from it almost immediately so that she and David could share a look as she lowered her hips down against his. So exhaled suddenly closed her eyes for a fraction of a second. In a quiet moment shared between them, it ended the sexual tension after seven months of closely working together the teasing he would submit her to. The watchful gazes between two different species.

David pushed his hips up as she pushed her hips down, meeting each other. He reached up and pecked her mouth playing as she moaned into his mouth as the rhythm of their bodies sped up.

There wasn't much difference between making love to a human and making love to a turian female. Both had similar erogenous zones. Both stimulated from the feeling of being filled up completely. Of course, that was where the similarities ended and the difference became much more apparent.

As David rolled over and landed on top of the moaning woman, pushing himself as deep as he could into the now submissively underneath him, turian, Her restraints were no longer there now. Her clawed hands gripped deeply into his hips as she pushed him back and forth at a faster and faster pace. He could imagine the blood undoubtedly trickling out of him. She cried out a sharp, moaning "Daviid!" more than loud enough for the other occupant in the houe to hear.

Her brother.

Her older brother.

Her older brother: The human hating war veteran.

Her older brother: A war veteran from killing humans.

Humans like him.

The human currently making the turian, human killing war veteran's little sister cry his name submissively as he pushed in and out of her.

Oh Fuck...

As the single crying scream formed down into a repeated moaning of his name, Carthia lashed out and wrapped tightly around his neck, biting hard, animalistic. She muffled a moan as bobbed in his arms, her tongue moving across the captured human flesh, mixing more pleasure into a sea of sharp pain up there.

Carthia pulled back, turian spit and human blood on her mandibles. She did not speak in words, she did not apologize. There was a fervor in her eyes. One that only sex, violence and pure animalistic desire had. She looked down and gritted as she watched him push in and out of her, a look of wonder and disbelief spread across her face. She looked up and uttered three words that nearly made him lose it.

"Fuck me, human."

The words breathed by the turned on turian only served to make the situation that much more tense. David opened his mouth as he let it sink in. THe was in the middle of making love to someone not human, something he had never done before, something Carthia certainly never had done before. Yet somehow, neither he seemed turned off. He listened blankly to the three words were uttered over and over, more and more his name was replaced with the word human. Once more she was crying the words out loud enough for it to echo out of the room. Again.

He could feel the pressure build inside of him. He could not keep this pace. It did not really matter. Whatever was going on with Carthia definitely was a state of orgasmic bliss as she rolled in his arm, crying in a mixture of translated English and her native language. He groaned and pressed his face tight into her chest, his tongue flickering out to touch her skin as he came inside of her. His thrusts slowed and slowed, grinding to a full halt.

"Spirits... I... wow.." She managed to breath out; her eyes glazed and a silly expression was present. She turned to inspect him, Her eyes immediately focused and widened. "Oh dammit," She cursed, wincing at sight of the David's neck, heavily bleeding and with her teeth marks still present. David shrugged it in a daze off but Carthia pulled them both up carefully, him, still deep inside of her body.

She yanked the pillow sheet off a spare pillow and wrapped it around his neck, her hand applying pressure. He hissed sharply and grunted at the weight, Carthia winced guilty and looked him over for any more injuries caused by the unassuming turian woman.

"I'm so, so sorry, David." She nearly whimpered, "I complained a lot about the males of my gender but did not tell you how... aggressive we are in this state either. Your skin is so soft, tender... I can see why you were so concerned when I went down on you... I-I didn't mea-"

David cut the stammering turian off with a careful, wincing kiss and pressed both of them back down on the pillow they now shared.

"It was...well... It was great... But you were right." He murmured weakly as he tugged the blanket over their naked bodies. "I wasn't expecting this."

Carthia softly laughed as she nuzzled against both David and the pillow as she felt David still inside of her. The celebration party for the Altura that they cut short was inconsequential compared to this experience...

**...**

* * *

**...**

David's teeth bared at the sight of the shocked Kasumi and her helmeted companion, Tali. He looked down and placed his hands into his pockets s though pleased with the tale he had more or less told down to the detail of scent of arousal. Neither the loud and near unshutupable Kasumi nor this new quarian uttered a word.

David sighed and chuckled.

"And that's how I nailed Carthia." He bragged. He looked at the shocked expressions on their face and sighed. "Well more the other way around." He admitted truthfully. "Turian women, as it turned out, do not offer their rooms to males as a sign of honor and respect. She flat out seduced this poor hum-

***SLAP***

Tali and Kasumi watched as the lithe form of Marhna'Prince dragged the offending human away from the scene of the storytelling crime by his ear.

"David dearest." Marhna hissed prettily into his nearly shredded off ear, her hand crushing David's cartilage as she led him back towards the kitchen. "Go and dish your baby girl her dinner or I'll turn what genitals you have into a doorstop."

She let go of him and booted him nicely in the ass, causing him to stumble as he wandered back down to be with his family. Looking much, much more domesticated then moments prior. Marhna groaned and rubbed her face, a smile present as she shook her head to face Kasumi and Tali once more. She laughed as she leaned in and welcomed her all but adopted pseudo daughter by kissing her cheek.

"I am sorry, Mai... Tali." She murmured a greeting to the women. "You must forgive David's more... intimate recalling of his past."

Kasumi laughed weakly.

"I'm just surprised someone as vain as David would sleep with Carthia." She admitted to the quarian. "That sort of pairing is kinda... rare. I mean, I knew it happened, by damn..."

"Carthia is a very attractive woman by turian standard, I suppose and, well... David and Carthia have a long, detailed history together." Marhna returned, as she hung up Kasumi's jacket for her. "A sort of tragic romance to be honest, one I cannot make him forget, nor would I wish to. It was a rather... difficult time back then for him... before I met him, before we got together years later. Carthia kept David's spirits up in weak moments."

"I should go see those kids, make sure they aren't tormented by Papa Davie tooo much." Kasumi announced suddenly, obliviously speaking before an awkward silence fell. Marhna smiled at Kasumi and nodded her head, allowing her to depart company with the quarians, leaving Marhna and her arms full counterpart, Tali'Zorah, alone together.

"You still allow him to go on business trips with Carthia?" Tali inquired curiously, her eyes bright and wide. "Despite this mutual.. attraction shared?"

Marhna stared at Tali briefly before she threw her head back and laughed.

"Tali, your man is not some animal to be chained and neutered because you feel him needed to be chained to only you." Marnha returned incredulously, her hand reach up to hold the edge of the engineers mask. "Train him yes, punish him when he behaves rotten, most certainly. You must, however, allow him to _remain_ a man for him to be _your man_."

Marhna looked down and pushed her braids backwards. She looked up, her sharp teeth nipping her lips as she took Tali's hand and squeezed it.

"Treating him to suspicion, forcing him to work in the dark instead of coming out clean about issues." Marhna continued, smirking knowingly as Tali squirmed uncomfortable. "A man is inherently, a problem solver, in your case, even more so considering who he is. They hear you upset, so they seek your trouble and find ways to fix it. To complain publicly only to shut him out... it breaks down his functional mind, it forces him to resort to irrationality because that is what he has been presented."

"Even men like John Shepard are bound to act irrationally on his free time." She pointed out, lightly tapping Tali's face mask. Tali nodded slowly, reluctantly. Yes, Marhna was right. At the end of the day Shepard was still equally capable of becoming upset as she was.

"As I said to Kasumi, both David and Carthia have a long, rich history before I was even starting my pilgrimage. When they first met, I was barely fifteen." The elder quarian reminded Tali, her lips curved into a smile. "I will admit, however, before David and I got serious... well, for a long time after, I was jealous of the friendship shared between the two. But, I was set straight."

Marnha closed the door behind Tali and took the gifts out of her arms at long last, Freeing Tali's arms up for her.

"I came to understand that the sort of affection they have together is more useful to what we have built, rather than a strained one caused because I couldn't handle it." She added, tugging off her veil and hanging it on the coat rack with one hand. She turned back, on her was a faint expression of hurt as she fell into her thoughts..

"I can remember how much it hurt to watch David restraining his emotions for a best friend like Carthia just to comfort me. I could not do that to him for long. Do not get what I say wrong:" She added before Tali could question it. "David loves me unconditionally for reasons I will tell you, eventually, I too felt this way after I figured it all out after many long years. I mean, would I have married him for seventeen years? Would I have wanted to raise three children with a man who would rather spend time with her then I?"

"Compromise; Tali'Zorah, must be your foundation with John, as it was for my David." Marhna concluded, looping her arm into Tali's and leading her through the hallway and towards the social atmosphere of the kitchen.

"Now come along. We shall eat and attempt to remain horrified and visibly upset at him for such a graphic tale." She smirked slightly. "Tell me. Did he show you his lovely turian love scars? Horrific to think how easily damaging an orgasmic turian in bed could do to someone soft like him."

Tali shook her head and winced as Marhna chuckled to herself, venturing into Marhna's husband's sex life wasn't something she was looking forward to.

**...**

* * *

**...**

Dinner was a surprisingly enjoyable affair.

For everyone's benefit, Marhna had managed to get David under her control once again. Awkward dinner talk only occurred whenever poor Galina'Voar opened her mouth to answer a question brought forth by the rest of the party. Tali smiled sympathetically for the young woman. She could understand the fears of having to speak to parents. John had issued her a similar warning that Michael gave to Galina. She too would fear meeting his parents... if they would even want to meet her...

So she could definitely understand the fear of meeting a vastly different type of parent then she was use to. Though with the state her family line was in now, she could hardly say she had a family of her own to compare Shepard's too.

Of course, this all hinged on if they could work everything out.

She smiled indulgently as she faintly listened to an anecdote about a volus he had an encounter with on Illium, he was trying to buy David out, outright. Something the human did not take kindly too. She laughed in all the right places as she sipped her wine and focused on the dish Marhna had prepared for her a rare quarian recipe that survived the struggle against the geth. It was spicier then she imagined it to be, but it was one of the best meals she ever had in quite some time.

Occasionally, she looked up to find Marhna, quietly watching her... Her eyes. They seemed rather... well... Sad. As the two would catch each other's eyes they both chuckle and turn away from each other.

"So, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy." She heard being called out of David's mouth, brightly. "I understand you work in close proximity with the great Commander Shepard." He gestured to Marhna and added. "Marhna had an encounter with a Shepard once, apparently. Before the geth attack, right love?"

Tali's eyes widened and turned at look at Marhna, wasn't paying any mind to the conversation, Instead she was hunched over and, whispering a Khellesh phrase of praise into Laura's ear as she cut up her daughter's meal for her. She pressed her thin lips against her child's head before looking back up.

"Eric Shepard." She murmured quietly as she sipped her wine and sat back up straight. She bit her lip, quietly swirling her glass. "From what I gathered at a much later date, He is your John's father."

Kasumi and Tali shared a look. The younger quarian swallowed the knot building in her throat. Slowly, she nodded in confirmation.

"You met his father?" Tali inquired, her tone forcing itself to remain neutral rather then excited at the prospect of learning something new. "What... what was he like? I have heard nothing but praise about John's mother from him but next to nothing on him."

Alexandra snorted to herself unladylike.

"Perhaps he's a lousy father, just like daddy here." She haughtily determined to the group.

David did not know whether to laugh or grumble. Tali turned her eyes hard on the young human, her hands tightening into fists as she was ready to defend John's father's honor, despite not having a clue what kind of man he really was. Despite the chilling thought in the back of her mind that Alexandra Prince might have been correct.

Tali felt a hand grip her knee. It was Kasumi. Her eyes telling the defensive looking Tali not to strike the child, lest she face a death sentence at the hands of Marhna'Prince. Tali nodded once and turned back to Marhna who seemed so oddly quiet.

"_Half a soul."_ Marhna whispered to herself, sounding distantly lost. The table, disregarding little Laura who was playing with her roast slice and gravy, turned to face Marhna. Marhna shook her head curtly and focused herself, she looked up Tali.

"I met him briefly after closing, one evening." Marhna admitted as though stepping on glass. "He had... He had these blue eyes. Sad blue eyes and so... so many injuries... So many scars. He was so... upset and so...hard despite being so obviously sensitive."

"_Karmatic retribution." _She whispered once more, smiling strangely to herself. Marhna exhaled and shook her head before looking back up to meet Tali's eyes.

"It's not in my place to talk to you about him Tali'Zorah much more than this." Marhna flatly informed her, a look of pity for the curiosity squashed. "If John approaches me, I'll be more inclined to share."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Galina looked around helplessly, not sure what to make of all of this. There was a sudden humorless chuckle that escaped David's lips unsympathetically.

"He sounds like a real winner, Marhna."

Alexandra burst out a sudden and explosive giggle at her father's remark. David joined her and together they laughed at the man they never met before in their lives expense. This time, the snide remark did not fly past Marhna. She reached out and took Alexandra's chin, forcing her mouth shut.

"_Be quiet._" She growled menacingly, at both her husband and daughter who now looked petrified by the nasty glare on her face and the baring of her sharp fanger like canine to them. "He must be a decent man if he managed to produce a man like John Shepard."

She huffed and let go of Alexandra and once more sipped her drink. Slowly, the predatory mother smirked to herself. She leaned over and covered Laura's ears, who screeched and pouted in protest.

"Married or not." She stated to the room at large, but looking directly at her husband. "If I was a decade younger, I would have jumped John Shepard's bones and rode him until he couldn't take it anymore and not even feel the slightest bit guilty for cheating on you."

The room burst out into laughter at the remark and the horrified expressions written across both Alexandra and David's face. Micheal ducked his head, unable to believe he had to edure this. Tali chuckled reluctantly. Trying not to seethe too much at the obvious joking remark. Marhna grinned as she let go of Laura's ears and turned to Tali, smiling vividly.

"Sorry Tali'Zorah, Do not be too upset." She asked of the younger engineer. "I just felt I needed to put that on the table for the amazing David Prince and his story time. I should think you might agree."

David and Tali's eyes met, David grinned, silently urging her to be upset. Behind her mask, Tali smirked. No, she would not give the bosh'tet the pleasure of her rage.

"If my Shepard were to cheat, I think it would be best done with you, regardless of your age. After the Carthia Acterax tale, I think you need one triumph conquest of your own to retaliate with." Tali admitted as she sipped her drink, her eyes turned to find David's hopeful expression into one of despair.

Marhna laughed and slapped her hands together excitedly, leaning back into her seat.

David groaned and joined his daughter, Alexandra as he too, pressed his hand against his face and attempted to ignore the sound of three giggling quarian women and howling human thief. This new friendship was going to be the death of him.

**...**

* * *

**...**

"_Log report catch up thirty seven: After completing the assignment requested on Pragia. Whether dealing with Subject Zero's past was a success or not is still yet to be seen. I have noticed a decline in her profanity against myself, but an increase in aggression against the Cerberus operatives onboard. I'm not surprised, nor do I blame her. Spending your childhood poked and prodded with needles and watching children die for you is some cause for resentment against the organization that committed this ethical shitstorm-_

"Stick to the facts, Commander, The Illusive Man is quite aware of the ethical dilemma's in each decision made." Commander John Shepard heard Operative Lawson call out from across the table. She did not look up to face him, instead her attention was focused on writing out her own reports. John silently glowered and turned back to his omni-tool.

"_Brief engagement with the bloodpack occurred inside the abandoned facility. Enemy platoon size six to eight krogans, fifteen or so Vorcha. They weren't expecting us, they were taking shelter from the rain, making them more than an easy opponent to deal with. As per request, Cerberus related information has been copied and attached to this file so that perhaps you might learn why abruptly terminating projects is not such a good idea."_

John set his arm down and dug into what seemed like chicken soup Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner prepared for him. He sighed, deciding thirty seven after mission and intel reports was a good place to stop and rest his voice. He swallowed another mouthful and looked up, noticing the raised eyebrow of Operative Lawson, staring at him shrewdly in protest of his displayed table manners.

Shepard slurped the noodle in his mouth and sat up properly.

"It appears that you forgot to mention your little encounter with the second test subject in the facility. I believe we should rectify that." She reminded him. Her lips curled upwards, forming a patronizing smile for John's obvious omission. Shepard stared right back at the Operative's dark, dangerous sharp eyes, unaffected.

"I'm not mentioning Aeresh on the report, Miranda." He stated simply, crossing his arms. "Aeresh was sick, broken many years prior. Why would I hand information of his survival back into Cerberus hands?"

Damn. He really should have taken Garrus' offer when he had the chance. Currently, the entire male section of the team, including Jack and Kelly, naturally, had wandered off the ship in search for the nearest strip club they could find to blow the many thousands of credits Cerberus had given to them as a bonus for surviving what was thought to be a suicide mission.

He could not blame them for doing this. Midway through the Collector Base, Zaeed had a sudden reversal of attitude towards his comrade-in-arms and issued a proclamation: He would buy each and everyone two strippers, alcohol and enough cocaine to keep them awake for the next week for anyone who managed to come out of that mission alive.

Unfortunately for his paycheck, everyone did.

Of course, Garrus spilled the beans about Tali and him the moment John declined the offer.

Whether it was believed or not was yet to be seen. Regardless, as a result of his unwillingness to cause his quarian anymore trouble, he had spent the past two hours filling paperwork and audio reports with the ever dutiful Miranda Lawson, who was still maintaining bi-weekly reports back to her employer. Thankfully, Miranda relaxed a few issues onboard the Normandy. Notably the removal of the bugs and tracking devices.

Of course, none of this massive display of trust between two parties meant jackshit to Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. She still needed answers for this continued loyalty and John just did not know how to explain it. Not yet, not properly.

Shepard downed the last of the soup and stood up , wandering over to Gardner's station to give him a word of thanks for the meal. As he did so Miranda too stood in protest of his departure of her company.

"We're not done here, Commander."

Shepard turned back, still walking his way backwards.

"Yes, we are Operative, now go relax your busy mind." Shepard returned before turning back to wander away properly. "Kasumi specifically ordered you a six pack of XXXX Gold to see if you could revert into an Australian stereotype. How about you go and enjoy them?"

"I will, if you join me for a discussion about your new interest."

John paused his casual walk and turned to face Miss Lawson, a blank look on his face.

"You heard me, despite tht godawful... thing I had to witness invoving you, your quarian and her in a Cerberus uniform, I'm still going to help and her deal with your... issues," Miranda returned, leaning on one of her hips and smirking at him, far less menacingly and much more as though it was friendly. "So... tell you what. I will turn into a... _bogan,_ for your amusement if it gets you talking about that damnable quarian eating away at your focus."

For a brief moment, Shepard stared at the Operative. Slowly, he sighed. He could really use fresh pair of eyes on the conundrum that was Tali'Zorah vas Normandy.

"Come along, Lawson." He muttered, gesturing the Australian woman to follow him into Kasumi's bar. "Let's see your impression."

**...**


	4. 2161: The First Day

**Can't believe I've released this finally.**

**Before we begin, I have to say I went back and did a lot of repairs and revisions to this fic. One of the more significant changes as been replacing the quarian Forzaan to the shipowner, Galina'Voar nar Neema from my "Favorite Spot in the Citadel" story. I wanted a fleshed out quarian, and Forzaan wasn't working for me.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

**...**

* * *

**...**

**Chapter Four: 2161: The First Day**

**...  
**

The apartment was huge. It was much more spacious than Marhna, nor her friends could have ever imagined they would find themselves living in for their Pilgrimage.

Four bedrooms, two washrooms, a lounge and a kitchen, even a damn balcony that overlooked the presidium arm. In the space her, Fel and Kalia now occupied, it could have easily be converted into living space for eight families and still have room to throw a party for thirty. Marhna closed her eyes. This was beyond what she expected when David Prince said he was leasing her a home.

This Apartment was clearly built with other species in mind other then quarians. There were no decontamination chambers unfortunately. Though David, through a line of his drugs inhaled off his arm waved it off as an oversight, promising to have quarian comforts fused into the beautiful new home for Fel, Kalia and herself.

It was still early in the morning, but she was much too nervous to sleep. This job was going to be a big opportunity to finally make a dent into a culture outside of her own. Though Marhna and David celebrated the new employment, the turian, Carthia assured her she would be nothing more than a glorified babysitter. She would have make sure David stayed on task, relatively charming and didn't get himself into to much trouble by _banging some asari jailbait._

Marhna opened the Refrigerator, stocked with human food and dextro nutrient pastes for her and her friends, the human foods in case David dropped by for a meal; Something Carthia said was so often, she now shopped for the both of them. since David felt himself above such mundane tasks as grocery shopping.

Pulling a high end nutrient paste from out of the packed food storage, Marhna latched it and started to suckle on the straw in her suit. She turned back to find that chronometer was flashing 07:20 local time. Marhna winced. Time to get going. He needed her in bright and early for orientation. David assured her that this was not a common practice. Usually he slept in, meaning that her work day would start at one in the afternoon and ended at 5, then come back in again at eight in the evening and end at two in the morning. Long hours, but considering the pay, well worth it, or so she figured.

After detaching the now empty canister, Marhna carefully wrapped the shawl around the top of her helmet. a gift from her mother, passed down from her ancestors. "_Old_" said David, who offered to spruce up her suit in any possible way. Marhna had to bite back at his ignorance. He hadn't had any education on her and her people, just as Marhna had limited understanding for him and his people. She could remember the common complaint back ta her old job, how humans had no patience and lacked appreciation for even their own traditions. Some Marhna found confounding.

She quietly wandered out to the door and stepped outside, descending into the streets of the Citadel. She paused as she took in the sight of the quiet, peaceful street. No... not just the streets of the Citadel. The Presidium itself. She had never been able to walk this quiet part of the Citadel. But now because she and her friends held residence here, they would permit it.

As she glanced around causally before work, she did not notice that suspicious eyes were following her every move. It was not long before silence was broken by the marching of feet. Marhna turned and found herself staring at a human Citadel Security officer. She did nothing wrong, still.. it wasn't as though these people needed much of an excuse.

"Is something the matter?" She spoke up, her voice neutral but every other instinct told her she was about to be arrested and ran into the nearest C-Sec outpost for wandering a location that saw, few quarians enter it.

"There might be." The officer spoke, marching closer to her. "Do you have a reason to be in this district at this time in the morning?"

"W-well I-"

The officer sniffed as though humored and crossed his arms.

"Can we try that without a stutter, quarian?" The officer condensed, staring menacingly at the quarian. "It makes you sound like you have something on your mind..."

Marhna shook her head instantly. Thoughts of being arrested on her first day eating away at her nerves. It would be a horrible start for this chance that was given to her.

"No, I'm just heading to work. Please, I don't mean any trouble." She managed to speak without a single stutter.

"May I help you, _officer_?"

Marhna and the human turned and found a well dressed turian woman stalking towards the two of them. Before either of them realized it, She had gotten in between both of them. Marhna felt a moment of relief. It wasn't just any turian, it was Carthia. Her back turned to the quarian as she stared down the human.

"Carthia Acterax. Miss Quaera's attorney and the biggest headache you'll ever have if you continue to harass my client without basis to a suspicion." Carthia introduced herself, staring hard into the human's eyes. The human looked between the two of them

He nodded curtly, understanding that he was going to get into a lot more trouble then it was worth.

Marhna watched silently as the officer turned and stalked away, continuing his patrol. She turned back to face Carthia and her impassively observant expression. Her arms were crossed as she simply stared at the quarian.

"My attorney?"

Carthia's mandible's curved into a smirk.

"One of the perks of having David for a boss.' Carthia explained as she gestured to the quarian to follow along. "You have me on retainer. Just try to keep out of trouble when you can. I'm not a cheap service."

Marhna nodded, understanding where the turian was coming did not intend on being any sort of burden to her new employer. He was generous as it was. She just did not feel right taking anymore then he was offering already. A decent job with an employer who seemed genuinely interested in his employees was new concept for the quarian to digest.

"I was actually hoping to drop by for a visit." Carthia pressed on, her flangling voice causing a chill to run down Marnha's spine. "I felt that it was necessary for me to continue last night's ground rules. That is if you do not mind."

Marhna shook her head, she would hear the lawyer out.

"David, bless his childlike heart, does not allow insult and injury to his name get to him. He will gladly allow it to roll off him like it didn't happen for the sake of civility." She started, leaning into the railing overlooking the lake. "His willingness to... _overlook_ your less than charming behavior is the only reason you could get away with insulting him twice."

She turned back to face the quarian, leaning casually as she gestured to Marnha, her eyes as hard and as frightening as any turian Marhna ever got onto its bad side.

"You will not get away with insulting him anymore then you have already." She chastised, her voice rough and leering. 'So do yourself a favor and tone down that attitude of yours. David might find it cute, but I'm not nearly so blind to its intent. Understood?"

As much as the more passive side to her personality wanted to submit, that slowly growing tumor in her called a backbone, forced her to cross her arms and simply stared back into the turian's eyes unflinching as she crossed her arms in a clear act of defiance.

"Do I answer to you as well?"

Carthia blinked, but was not bothered by the display. Instead, she stood up straight.

"No, I am not your employer. I do, however, have his ear and a simple wish for you to show some common fucking courtesy for him." Carthia returned. Her many teeth baring. "He's a good man, who doesn't deserve half the shit that he has to put up with here, if you add to his problems, I won't hesitate to put you down."

Marhna nodded, feeling rather timid for the first time in a few days. Still staring her down, Carthia reached into her purse, tugging what looked like a omni-tool device out. She pushed it into Marhna hands.

"A new omni-tool. as per instructed by Mister Prince." She explained to the curious quarian, sounding bored. "Have a good day at work."

Carthia paused, frowned and leaned in, her mouth touching against the younger girls mask briefly before pulling back. leaving Marhna shocked and confused and Carthia looking liker she took no pleasure in what had just happened. She sighed, clearly frustrated at her own actions.

"Again..." She groaned. "As per instructed by Mister Prince. Apparently, I need to lighten the fuck up about you."

With a mumbling in her native language, Carthia departed, leaving Marhna nearly on the edge of bursting out with laughter.

**...**

* * *

**...**

"Can I help you, babe?" The asari spoke up, after finally breaking conversation with the krogan. Marhna shuffled nervous as the bouncer krogan simply glared right through her reflective mask.

"Um, yes." She managed to get. "I'm to report to David Prince."

The krogan grumbled a laugh lowly.

"So he actually went out and hired you, bucket." The giant growled, almost amused. "Figure the ape would want you. He likes to collect aliens."

The asari rolled her eyes and slapped the krogan on it's armor.

"Oh yeah... you're that cute quarian thing who talked shit about David!" The asari brightly remembered. She giggled slightly and stepped forward, adding. "Mister Prince spent the whole evening gushing that you actually stood up to him."

The asari held out her hand. It was a human gesture that Marhna had seen on several occasions. Slowly, she reached out and gripped the asari's hand, shaking it.

"I'm Hansa. Tend the bar, serve drinks on busy nights. Served you a couple nights ago." The asari introduced herself. "David told me I would be teaching you basic hospitality management. I think you and I are going to get along just fine, right?"

Marhna looked down and noticed the hand being offered still. She recalled Prince doing the same gesture, so slowly, she took it. Shaking the delicate blue hand.

"Oh... Marhna'Quaera." She introduced herself as well. "Yes, I certainly hope we will get along. I haven't had much luck with employment outside the fleet. This job is shaping up to be... different, however."

Hansa laughed softly and nodded. Before Marhna realized it, Hansa's arm was around her shoulder, leading the two of them past the huge krogan

"You've definitely got the right idea about this place." She agreed. "David Prince is a blast to work for compared to others places I've been. Humans are generally easy going, unless they're stressed or upset. David has only ever raised his voice once at me, and that was because I served an underage turian. Bastard kid."

She chuckled softly at memories of her first mistake.

"Poor Carthia spent two weeks correcting that mistake with his parents when they caught him drunk as fuck for his graduation. Poor thing." She recalled, with almost glee in her voice.

Carthia... Before she could say anything, she found herself being sat down behind the bar. Hansa left briefly and went behind the bar, by the time Marhna could comprehend it, She was mixing a drink in a sterilizer unit. Pouring the liquid into a decontaminated vial, she slid it across the bar to her.

" Non alcoholic. Bavo'tis... an old quarian drink." Hansa explained watching the younger woman's eyes widen. "Mom spent a century on Rannoch before the exile." She explained. "It's synthesized though, can't exactly go to Rannoch for the ingredients."

Marhna murmured a word of thanks and sipped the drink as though it was a precious liquid. The tangy taste caught her off guard. Quietly she sipped the drink, under the watchful almost motherly smile of Hansa.

"Carthia... I just got a lecture about me treating David with some respect." Marhna admitted ruefully as she stopped drinking. Hansa could only laugh as though what she had been warned was old news.

"Carthia has invested a lot of time and patience into molding David into someone who can have a cordial relationship with her fellow turians without him getting sued..." Hansa explained as she too sat down next to Marhna. "Which trust me. It happened every other week in his first year of business on the Citadel. He's the closest thing to a friend that icy bitch has. Disrespect him and you disrespect her."

_"Which means Carthia's near a stroke level rage every night thanks to you, right Hansa?"_

Marhna and Hansa turned there heads, finding none other then David Prince stumbling towards them, yawning as he attempted to ruffle his worn out suit, the one he wore yesterday. Hansa smirked slightly at his beleaguered expression.

"Well hello David." The asari greeted. "Didn't go home last night?"

"Yeah. Must've fell asleep checking over the books. I'll make this an early day and freshen up." He grumbled, straightening out his shirt and tie. "Hello Mara'Kara... ahhh...I mean Marhna'Quaera. Did you have a good sleep in somewhere other then a slum? Ready for the big day?"

Marhna watched as the man ran a hand through his hair and accepted a strong looking drink and a kiss on his cheek from Hansa. Marhna nodded as positively as she could as David turned back to her.

"Yes sir." She spoke softly as David set the glass down. Her politeness, demanded by Carthia Acterax, was immediately looked down on my the odd human.

"Dammit girl. David is fine, now come along." David corrected Marhna, as he tugged on his suit jacket and attempted to straighten it. "I'm hungry for food that doesn't swell my throat and you and I have some ground rules to cover. Did Carthia provide you a new Omni-Tool?"

Marhna nodded and flashed her brand new Logic Arrest series Omni-Tool. She had been tinkering with it on the walk and the shuttle ride to the club. It was the first expensive piece of equipment she had ever owned.

"Good. It has a built in updated translator. Human's speak over six thousand different dialogs alone. We also have to cater to the rest of the galaxy as well. which means communication is the key to everything we do. " David spoke again. He paused, grinned slightly, and added. "Did..ah. Did she give you a little apology for being a bitch in advance?"

Again Marhna nodded, barely able to contain her mirth.

"Yes, that reminds me. I have to wash my mask." Marhna mused. David's broke out into a sharp thrilling laugh.

"Good girl. See? you're on your way to fitting in just nice." David praised, patting the quarian on the back and lead her out of the club for their first official outing as boss and assistant.

...

* * *

...

"_JESUS TAPDANCING CHRIST..."_

David flung his head back, his nose coated in white and was snorting as though desperate for air. He turned to Marhna, his eyes wide and wild. Marhna winced as he banged idly on the table in front of an tune that was indescribable to the quarian.

"Carthia said you need to lay off the cocaine at eight in the morning." She said , catching his attention. David snorted and made an odd hissing noise at the mention of the turian.

"Man, fuck Carthia... Literally. I'll fuck Carthia if she tells me off on my habit again. You want some?" He offered, wiping the excess off his nose. He paused, looked her over and winced. "oh right, the helmet, never mind. Probably good you stay clean until I figure out a way to get you outta that goddamn suit."

Marhna stopped sipping her beverage. Instead she simply stared down her employer.

"What did I say about not having a relationship with you in order to advance in this field.?" She asked him.

David rolled her eyes at the concern.

"Relax, precious. I was talking strictly business." He corrected, smiling crookedly. "Having a suitless quarian running shit with me would be awesome."

Marhna sighed and bit back the urge to say something rude.

"You clearly don't understand how my immune system works, then. I cannot just simply choose to wear this thing or not." Was all the politeness she could summon. David appeared unfazed and completely uninterested in the topic at hand.

"I don't have to know, Marhna. Hell, I don't even give enough of a fuck to even try." David explained as confident as ever. "I usually just throw money at the problem and it usually fucks right off. and then I get what I want."

Marhna and David fell back into silence. They had decided on this asari eatery David always wanted to try but never had the time to do it. Marhna on the other hand, rarely got to eat out at places that offered a selection for all species, hers included. She had ordered a paste made of Synthesized quarian _gar'atric_. The best comparison she could make for David was it was the human equivalent to a vegetable known as carrots...

David had ordered a steak and salad, he nearly sent it back, claiming the chef had no fucking clue what a medium rare meant. Marhna did her best to make sure that he would keep his temper in check. In the end, he ate it but he wasn't impressed.

"Rule number one: The patrons are almost always wrong." David listed off, surprising her. "They'll suggest something, you ignore it. unless it's 800 year old matriarch whose been in the business for centuries, then you open your ears and listen to what the old bitch has to say.

David paused and looked her over, he smiled crookedly as he readjusted his glasses..

"By the way, how old are you?" He inquired, leaning back into his seat as he idly dug into his salad.

"Seventeen. quarians consider that the year of adulthood" Marhna informed the man without a moment of hesitation.

David's eyes widened at the small piece of information giving to him. He pushed his plate away from him, looking strangely mortified at the answer he received? Was that too young an age? Marhna mused... she probably should have told him earlier.

"_Seventeen_... fucking hell." David finally spat out. "Anyone asks you're a year older. seventeen... what the fuck do your parents just throw you out of the fleet at that age and expect you to survive? No wonder you all are easily exploitable."

Marhna sighed. David, despite his blunt attitude was right.

"It's a matter of class, something the fleet claims there is none." Marhna explained, her voice suddenly bitter. "The lowest in the fleet are sent out by seventeen, but an admirals child could easily be in their early twenties before they leave the fleet..."

Marhna sipped her paste s she thought jadedly about the sycophantic nature of the Admiralty Board.

"They usually receive better equipment and education on the outside world. for instance." She continued. "I received no education on your species, just that you exist. An Admirals son or daughter would have extranet access to the whole galaxy before being shipped out."

David's face contorted into a look of disbelief. He whistled lowly.

"Well shit... and here I thought you fuckers perfected Communism, turns out you lot fucked that ideology up almost as bad as us." David mused. "So I take it you come from a poor family?"

Having no clue what Communism was, Marhna thought about the question instead. She sipped her nutrient paste as she determined the answer to the posed question.

"In a sense, yes." Marhna admitted finally, "Not monetarily, the quarian economy is centered around sharing. but socially, yes. Mother and Father are air duct engineers... about as low as one can get in the fleet. they are... proud of their work, and expect I will follow them as well."

Marhna paused, behind her mask she smiled ruefully.

"I... don't want that for me..." She admitted, a note of shame trickling into her voice. She was not a very good daughter.

"Good thing you ran into me then, you might've become just that. You, a duct rat..." David laughed, he paused, eyed her and added, "though you on your knees would be a sight..."

The older human groaned and pressed his hand against hs face.

"Shit, you're 17 and live inside an environmental suit... the fuck am thinking?" David Commiserated. "I should be sent to jail, shouldn't I?"

Marhna shot David a glare.

"Oh don't give that fucking dirty look. I don't need to see your face to see that that profession is the last thing you ever want to be sucked into." David snapped, he paused, chuckled slightly and added "Heh... sucked into the air vents. No wonder you don't want that shit. Least you and your parents ain't in the sewage department, hey?"

Marhna rolled her eyes as the human suddenly broke into another round of laughter at her and her parents expense.

"What about rule two?" Marhna pressed, hoping to distract the man.

It worked. David blinked stupidly at the question.

_"Rule two?"_ He repeated. "Fuck... only ever had rule one... rule two... the fuck do take me for? someone who thinks that far ahead?"

David shook his head.

"Jesus, Marhna. If you want rules then you make them... I just play it by ear." David informed the woman his voice still reeling, "Rules are for people like Carthia Acterax. There's a reason why I hired her. I get a false impression of limitless freedom, while Carthia works her best to make sure I stay within reason."

Marhna blinked, What in the hell did she get into?

"So this is..."

"Two potential business partners getting to know one another. Not me lecturing you how to operate under my employment." David shrugged off idly before Marhna could press on with the question.

Marhna leaned into her seat, her head tilted and her arms crossed.

"You mean a date." Marhna breathed, staring down the human who looked amused by her observation.

David shook his head and extinguished his cigarette.

"No I don't date girls I view as underage and an employee no less." He reminded the quarian "You're going to be at my beck and call for the foreseeable future, until I think you're ready to take on more responsibility than making sure I stay sober... which you're doing a terrible job doing, by the way!"

Marhna's hand pressed against her ask. Her boss was insufferable...

**...**

* * *

**...**

"Welcome back, turian. Here I thought I was seeing things. Usually you're hanging off the bosses arm. Never saw the appeal of turians... usually spent most of my life breaking your kind."

"And look how well that worked out for you. Working as a thug for hire for a human? Your whore mother and her brother, your father. would be so ashamed."

Carthia Acterax didn't wait for the brute to reply, she smirked and strolled past him and into the club. She was immediately greeted with the glaring of asari trance music. She stood in the entrance and simply glanced around. She was all dolled up, as David would remark. A new dress, he talons filed so they would not cause to much damage to the thing she wanted most at that point. David, preferably pounding deep inside her.

_"Carthia, welcome!"_

The wobbly, feminine voice, a note of sarcasm present...Carthia groaned inwardly and turned finding both Hansa and Marhna approaching her, Carthia sighed again and did her best not to look like a woman with the urge to get fucked.

"Hello Carthia. That's a very beautiful dress." Marhna complimented, standing slightly behind Hansa. Carthia allowed the new girl a small opening of her mandibles, it was a faint smile.

"I see Hansa is taming you, good." Carthia observed, ignoring Marhna crossing her arms and instead turned to Hansa, adding. "Hi Hansa. Where's David?"

Like Marhna before her, Hansa too crossed her arms. Unlike Marhna, she knew exactly what was going on in the turians head. She knew that Carthia was just begging to get laid tonight. Damnable perceptive asari...

"Office, Babe." Hansa eyed her knowingly. "Try not to break him, I like how well he pays me."

Marhna glanced to Hansa, clearly confused. Before a whole lot of awkward questions could be asked, Carthia nodded politely to the two of them, leaving a confused Marhna and Hansa's smirk behind her. Carthia had no time to be interrogated by quarian nor asari.

...

* * *

...

Without so much as waiting around to knock, Carthia opened the door to the private office, David's office. The room was dark, with an exception to a single light shining on his desk, where David was sitting, hunched over at a terminal, writing a merchandise order from one of his many suppliers scattered across the galaxy.

Carthia cleared her, throat, causing the human to tighten up .

"Yeah?" David muttered and turned his swivel chair around to face the turian woman standing there just for him.

The surprise in his face vanished replacing it with the smallest of smirks as David leaned into his seat, his eyes traveling up and down her god without the sight bit of humility. He was eying her like he was already inside her. He turned away and back to the terminal.

"Oh, well hello Carthia." He murmured lowly. You're later then I expected."  
**  
**Carthia's mandibles opened to a slight smile. She stepped forwards, her eyes trained on he human whose back was again turned to her.

"Sorry." Carthia stated, her voice low, rolling "I decided to be spontaneous, so I went late night shopping. Is it to your satisfaction?"

David looked away from his terminal yet again and towards Carthia, who stood there as dainty as a turian could be. Her talons were wrapped together as she stood there covered in a strapless black dress that she managed to pull off perfectly. She seemed to have smiled shyly as David stood up and approached her. His eyes noting every perfect curve.

He reached out and pressed his hand against her shoulder blade and slowly worked it his way dow. He could feel it back. That tingle, that sparked that proved silently that what occurred two years ago was no long there being ignored by her.

"You look... Perfect. Since when did you start dressing up for me?" He finally returned. At his words he could feel another wave of shivers overwhelmed her yet again.

His hand slid down her wrist and wrapped tightly around her clawlike hand. He closed the gap between them, his other hand wrapped around her tight little waist. Carthia merely smiled as she pressed her mouth against Eric's next, nuzzling the permanent scar imprinted into his neck left by their last encounter. She opened her mouth up and gently kissed it.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I always dress with you in mind." She breathed.

Before he knew, Carthia pushed herself out of his grasp and stepped back towards the door back to the club. Her hips swaying, forcing David's attention to stay on them and them alone. She pressed the panel next to the door, silently locking it before turning back to the human awaiting her return.

"Forgive me, Carth, I'm not use to all of this... I call you perfect and there is no snark, no roll of your eyes?" He spoke up, smiling at her teasingly. Carthia did not chuckle. Instead she just shook her head as she came back within arms length of the man waiting for her.

"Not tonight, David Prince." She whispered to the desirable human. "I missed this. You and I."

Carthia's hands reached to the back of her dress, gently unzipping it. Revealing more and more of flesh once suckled on by him so many nights ago. A night that he would never forget. He watched her talon hands, slide over her curves as she stepped towards. A sultry smile and glazed eyes focused on him.

David backed away from the sight of the suddenly exposed Carthia. He ignored the pain as he felt his legs bang against his desk. He hopped upwards and took a seat on the table top, a crooked smile slapped across his face.

"What happened to the whole, one time only drama?" He inquired, his lips still quirked into a confused smile for the turian. "What about your whole, 'it wasn't that good' line a day ago?"

Carthia pouted playfully and shrugged as she puled herself up into his lap, her mandibles inches from his as she ran her talons through his soft hair.

"I lied. I'm sorry," She admitted to him at long last. "Talking about it the other day. Well, it made me remember everything had for a couple hours. The way you got my hormones flowing with simple touch. The way you made me cry your name. You made me submissive, but you weren't afraid to relinquish control to me. You made me feel... complete."

David's eyes widened at her words.

"Don't look too much thought into this Primate." She shushed her prey, her talons fumbling with the much too small buttons. "I'm not looking for a settled life with you. this is just... friends, working a tension away in the best possible way."

As the buttons of his shirt hiding his body were tugged open, she stared, memorized at the soft, pale pink flesh just waking to be taste. She i, her mouth pen as teeth and tongue rolled over his him. playing gently with nipples. She gasped for breath as she pulled back, enjoying the gentle human moans emitting from a rekindled lover.

"Thank God you feel that way, I could barely stand you as is." He finally manged to gasp you. Looking deep into playfully offended expression. "But...Can't we... I dunno, wait? You know I'm no prude;" He reminded her her talons rolled over the bulge hidden in his trousers. "I just think If I could, I'd rather take you home after closing, we could crack open a couple bottles of wine, snort a line together, seduce you there. Make you mine."

He bite his lip as he watched Carthia, hooded eyed as her talons ignored his Armani trousers altogether and dug deep inside of them, wrapping tightly around his cock, He bit another moan as he felt Carthia's talon hand push up and down, stimulating nerves ready to screw the turian girl, looking up at him like a he was the juiciest steaks she ever seen and it came with free cunnilingus on the side.

"I really don't wanna leave my own club wobbling, bleeding and puffy as fuck from allergies." David pointed, giving the turian girl the best boyish smile he could produce for her.

"Good idea, but no." Carthia denied, her mandibles forming a smirk as she shook her head, nipping his neck gently. "That will be round two. Slow, passionate..." She listed off softly "Right now, I just want you to take me here. All I want is for you to fill me up and make me cry... just like last time..."

Well fuck. David had to hand it to Carthia. When she wanted something, she sure as shit wasn't going to be coy about it.

Carthia reached out, her talon wrapping tightly around the human's hand. She forced his body to fit behind her so close they were skin to skin. Slowly, she walked her human towards the couch hidden away in the far corner, moaning as she felt, hot soft lips focusing onto her neck.

Together they sat down, Davids arms enveloping the half naked Carthia, who smirked, stretching her neck out to give him ample room to kiss while his hands explored her body, jolting her full of warm thoughts and sensations not felt in several years. Her eyes lit up noticed many digits shuffling lower down her body, teasing rough plates as they slipped into the waist still draped in the dress and touch tingling wet flesh, waiting for him.

"Wow.. You really have had something on your mind today." David spoke up, a grin in his voice. "So... quickie now."

"Practice... then the main show..." She finished and corrected for him.

She yelped as she felt David push his body back against the couch, forcing the woman to shuffle into his lap in order to keep his slender fingers grinding inside of her. Carthia relaxed the best she could into him, using his shoulder as a pillow while she rode out each pulsing pressure scratching inside.

Why did she ever impose a dry spell on herself? She had other lovers before they met, but two years ago was the first and only time she had ever enjoyed sex. It was all she could think about.

She even attempted to shake the thoughts by attempting to fool around with members of her own species. It never went anywhere. She'd often just flat out leave them, half turned on and went home or to the club where she watched from afar as David wooed his human and asari clientele.

But, no matter how attractive they were, how physically appealing it was to his human eyes. He would always spot her within five minutes of sitting down and spend the rest of the night, flirting and teasing her, tempting her into another taste of humanity. Notably, him.

Many months she thought about doing what she was doing right now. All these fingers, affectionate lips touching flesh rarely caressed like this before. The feeling of something so alien inside her. The sheer heat he produced during the aftermath of perfect sex. The way he held her as he dozed off, still deep inside her, the mixture of sex juices sloshing inside of her. She could go on and on.

Then there were the fantasies. By the spirits, each more embarrassing and forbidden to admit to then the next. But when reigned over them all. a secret fantasy she knew would never happen, but nonetheless was fueled over the past few years. every time skin brushed against hers, or he' open his mouth to speak, or even simple look.

Pregnancy. She wanted to carry his hybrid child. Oh what would her family think of her. Coming home, her stomach inflated, with him at her side, announcing to her parents they were going to be proud grandparents to an adorable hurian.

She wasn't deluded. She knew it was all just a fantasy, and she certainly admitted to having some mommy and daddy issues, just like David would regularly remind her of. But dammit, a girl could could dream about conceiving a child with some smooth talking, soft skinned, alien.

_"Oh... I don't ever want anything to do with you primate."_ She heard David mimic her flangling voice as she tumbled with his trousers zipper. _"I don't ever want you inside me ever again. You make me all scratchy and slippery."_

Then there was the downside to them together: The relentless teasing. She ignored his words and grins as she pushed off the tight material off. She looked at him with a mild smirk . She grabbed him and ran her tongue once, over him, delighted at the sudden moan and shudder. She wouldn't blow him properly. just a tease for now. Something saved for tonight in the comfort of his home.

_"It's just not what a proper turian woman does."_ He continued on, his voice snapping at her like a certain brother she had. _"Oh the shame of being defiled by a fleshy five fingered levo trickster."_

She blinked and moved away from him, laying flat on the couch as she pushed the res of her dress off. She narrowed her eyes at him as her leg opened and closed, revealing and denying him teasingly.

"If you don't stop quoting my brother and I and focus on fucking me. I'm going to bite you and watch you bleed out." She warned him in a whispered, dangerous voice. As scary as the threat would have been to someone who did not know her, David wasn't perturbed. Instead he obliged her hormone fueled demands. She watched silently as David hiked up the hem of her dress, rolling it around her hips. He smirked strangely and looked, His hand grazing against wet, exposed and hot flesh. She wasn't wearing panties. Carthia had only one thing on her mind all day.

Carthia's eyes widened as the sudden feeling of immense pressure filled inside of her. Two years of denying her urges were shattered as she felt him now connected to her. She quickly returned his coy smirk as she slowly, carefully, rolled her hips, forcing them to grind against David's. Forcing him deeper inside her.

A sudden knock on the door caused Carthia and David's attention to turn away from one another and onto it.

David sighed and cleared his throat. Carthia on the other hand, completely ignored the interruption. instead she continued to ride him, pushing him deeper and faster inside her. Her body was shaking as she looked up into his eyes widely, submissively.

"Yes?"

There was a brief silence, as if the person was debating on speaking up.

_"David, it's Marhna."_ The voice behind the knock finally spoke in a small unassuming voice. _"I know you're tired, but you have a visitor."_

As David pushed forward, reentering Carthia. He hear a sudden growl forming in her mouth. David reached outwards and pressed it over her mouth. He leaned in his dark eyes lingering on her. She laid submissive underneath the human. Her talons, sharp as the last time, dug into his shoulders. She looked up into his eyes. David knew this look, she was about to cry out.

Last thing either of them needed was an awkward moment with Marhna'Quaera. Poor girl would be scarred for life if she ever had to listen to a turian sex moan.

_"Take it silent, Carthia. Feel it, don't verbalize it." _He whispered, his lips touching her mouth as he continued to rock back and forth. Carthia exhaled unsteadily, but nodded to his challenge. Silent sex... _how exotic_.

"Tell Daeli, I'll speak to her later." David finally returned, feigning grogginess as he pushed into Carthia as deep as he could. "You were awesome tonight, sweetheart." He added more brightly. "Take the rest of the night off. Go speak to Hansa, she'll get you your first tip. I'll call you tomorrow, we'll have lunch."

Carthia widened her eyes and shuddered as the first orgasm of the evening rocked through her body. She reached up and pulled the hand over her mouth off.

"Excuse me?" She hissed under her breath as she watched her vagina steady pounded by her human lover "You're having lunch?"

As David heard Marhna's footsteps disappear from auditory range, he turned back to the turian gasping underneath him, a mildly confused smile on his lips.

"She's still in training." He reminded her as his body shifted to his side, pulling Carthia with him as he continued working inside of her. He paused, bit his lip, and with an even larger grin, added. "Wait a second.. Wait a second... Carthia Acterax,are you jealous?"

Carthia blinked at the remark... no she wasn't jealous of some little quarian girl, wide eyed and innocent despite how much of an attitude she possessed and just how dangerous she could become if she committed fully to David's tutelage... Inwardly she seethed... wasn't there three of them? Why couldn't he have chosen the male?

Carthia blinked and shook her head.

"You wish." She finally managed to get out.

She grinned confidently at the soft chuckle escaping from David and leaned in, her mouth wrapping around scarred skin that she shredded ope n the first and last time they had sex. She looked down, once more to watch the human thrust into her. a look of glee was carefully concealed.

Before she could fully appreciate what David was dong to her, the door was knocked on yet again, this time much less timid.

"_Daaaavieeee_... Open up!"

That squeal, that awful squeal. It meant only one thing.

Daeli Varneris, her mother was a diplomat and wealthy. Her mother may have been respectable, but her daughter was a spoiled drug addict who fucked just about everything she laid her eyes and used men like David to get whatever she needed that her mother would not, or could not provide...

"I'm in the middle of a nap Daeli, darling." David called out, muffled into Carthia's scales. "I'll get you something to snort later. You're here all night."

Daeli groaned, sounding close to an orgasm to Carthia.

_"Baby... don't make me wait out here... I missed you allll day."_ The asari moaned, pressed into the door. _"You and that sweet little ass you have. When are you gonna fuck me again?"_

Carthia paused her pushing her body into him. She stared up at David who froze, a sudden silly look spread across his face, as though he was feeling guilty.

"Only did it once, just before we met." He finally explained. "Regretted it ever since. Reason why she lingers here, I think."

Though awkward, Carthia was quite okay to forgive the man for the mistake. Most people did make the mistake of thinking screwing Daeli would be worth it.

_"Remember the way you had me pressed against your apartment wall, I don't think I walked right for a month after that... Baby, I need that again. You inside me like that..."_

Carthia came to a full stop, her arousal completely draining away. David was still moving inside of her, but her mood for it was gone, dead and gone. Before David could assure her that Daeli was nothing and was most certainly not masturbating against the door, the turian lost her temper.

"Piss off, you loose asari twat!" Carthia almost roared, using David's slang's. "I'm trying to get laid in here!"

The moaning behind the door ceased immediately, All Carthia could hear was David's heavy breathing into her neck.

_"Is that you, Carthia?_" The asari spoke once again. "_Well... Well do you need an extra pair of hands, David? I imagine fucking her is like running your dick through a tight hole coated with fiberglass.. I-I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if Carthia has teeth in her pussy..."_

All patience was lost. Carthia's mood turned into one of rage and indignation. The bitch had to pay, preferably with blood.

"Get out of me David." Carthia growled as she forced David out of her and kicked him right off the couch. "Get the bitch her coke and take me back to your place. Before I bite her _fucking_ throat open."

Dressing quickly back up, David and Carthia stumbled out of the office, running immediately into a very surprised looking Daeli. Carthia didn't even stop, She shoved the woman against the wall and stalked out of the cub, leaving David pausing briefly to give the asari a dimebag of coke. He too left the asari wordless and continued on through the club, shaking hands with patrons who approached him.

Carthia wasn't hard to find, she was the woman pounding back turian whiskey behind the bar, her face contorted in an almost blood rage that clashed with the sweat from both him and her coating her scale skin. David sighed and took a seat at the counter. Though his eyes were on Carthia, Carthia refused to pay any mind to him.

"Sorry about that... she's kinda a... well a whore, I guess" David finally announced.

Carthia downed her second drink and finally looked to him, simply staring at the human. He small eyes rolled, she looked almost amused at what had occured. She set the glass down and stepped out past Hansa, who looked close to breaking down in a fit of laughter.

"_You Guess?_ Come on... show me your apartment..." Carthia finally muttered now at his side, grabbing his hand. "I'll figure a way for you to make it up to me."

**...**

* * *

**...**

**Finally, eh? **

**I want to apologize for the lack of Tali/Shep in this one. I will be releasing several chapters in this series as past only chapters. It'll help speed past large gas of time and help explain the kind of people Marhna, David and Carthia are.**

**Now that this bit is out of the way I can get back to a quicker pace for this fic. This story is the linchpin to my ME3 story as well as easily a dozen one shot and miniseries set throughout the main me3 story. **

**Well I hope you like and forgive the lack of Tali/Shep. As I write this, I'm getting back on schedule with Life is never Straightforward.**

**Now... I know that you're reading, If you liked this don't be afraid to review, which apparently most of you are... Am I in trouble?  
**


End file.
